Smoke in My Eyes
by TaichiKoi
Summary: [AU Modern Day] (Jet/Katara (brief), Katara/Zuko) As she was leaving, she later encountered a chanced meeting, which sent a domino effect of events that will leave everyone involved reeling.
1. Chapter 1

_Smoke in My Eyes_

Rated: M (for adult themes, alcohol and tobacco use, language and sexual situations)

Disclaimer: No profit of any kind is being made from this piece of fanfiction.

Summary: In which it started at prom and ended up at a bakery.

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_you keep my eyelids from getting wet_

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"You look so beautiful, Katara." Gran-Gran stated, beaming with pride as she watched her granddaughter come down the steps in her formal wear.

The dress was a deep dark blue, the length of the gown going all the way down to her ankles. The straps were an inch wide and crisscrossed on her back. There was a slight slit on the right side that reached up to her knee. The finishing touches were dark blue heels, matching silver thin bracelets on each wrist, light blue teardrop earrings, and her late mother's necklace around her neck.

"Thank you," Katara replied with a smile, giving Gran-Gran a hug when she reached the bottom.

Gran-Gran pulled back after a moment, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "You look so much like your mother."

Katara hugged her again, trying to hold back her own tears.

"Now, now." Gran-Gran rubbed Katara's back soothingly. "No need for tears. Besides, you don't want to ruin your make-up," she half-joked, stepping back from the hug once more.

Katara lightly dabbed the corners of her eyes with her index finger, thankful that her black eyeliner didn't smear off.

"So, is Sokka driving you?"

"No. He has a date tonight. He's still in the bathroom putting another gallon of hair gel on his head."

Gran-Gran chuckled and walked over to the hallway closet, opening it up to pull Katara's white cardigan off the hanger. "The girl with the short dark red hair, right? What was her name again?"

"Her name's Suki. She's really sweet," Katara said as she shrugged on the cardigan her grandmother held up for her.

Katara zipped up the light jacket halfway before picking up her black purse from the small table next to the closet.

"Hm. So how are you going to get there?" Gran-Gran asked.

"Jet's picking me up."

There was a weighted pause.

"You know I do not approve of that boy, Katara."

Katara gave her pleading eyes. "He's changed, I swear. He really has turned over a new leaf."

"I don't know…" Gran-Gran started to protest, then stopped, a sigh finishing her sentence. "I'll take your word for it, but I want you back home by 10PM."

Katara could not help but groan. "Gran-Gran, that's way too early."

Gran-Gran gave her a stern look.

Katara sighed. "Fine, 10PM it is."

A car honked from outside their home.

"Hmph, can't even come up to the door, the nerve," Gran-Gran said irritably, going over to the living room window to peek outside.

Katara rolled her eyes and thought; _he probably doesn't want to face your wrath_. She then picked her keys from the bowl on the table and opened the front door.

"I'll see you later!"

Katara dashed out before Gran-Gran could get another word in edgewise.

Once in the car, Katara carefully bent into the seat, careful not to crease her dress too much before shutting the door.

"Hey, babe. You look amazing."

"Thanks! Same to you," Katara greeted back, buckling up. "Now let's get out here before Gran tries to get pictures."

Jet smirked. "I don't think she'd want me in them."

They both laughed and a few seconds, Jet shifted the gear to drive and together, they drove off to their high school prom.

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"You look great, Katara," Jet complimented for the fourth time since the moment they were in the car until the moment they reached the school parking lot.

Katara smiled, leaving her cardigan and purse underneath it in the car, closing the passenger door. "Thank you. You're looking mighty sharp this evening yourself." It was true, when Jet climbed out of the car, the lights in the lot showcased his outfit nicely. He had on black dress shoes that shined, black slacks, and a dark green long sleeved dress shirt, a white tie and matching belt finishing off the ensemble.

Jet grinned a bit, coming over to her side and holding out his arm, which she gladly took a hold of.

"Shall we?"

"Let's!"

The pair walked into the building, hearing the music as soon as they opened the front doors. Their fellow classmates were scattered in different areas of the hall that led to the gymnasium, all of them decked out in formal attire.

Moments later and they were dancing the night away. The songs varied from really bass driven beats to pop, with a few ballads thrown in for good measure.

On the third slow song, Jet pulled Katara close and whispered into her ear, "I have a surprise for you."

"Hm? What is it?" Katara asked as she lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him.

"Probably be best to show you elsewhere," he stated mysteriously.

Katara gave a nod. "Lead the way," she replied, excited.

They left the gym and walked down the hall a ways, the rest of the school was essentially deserted by then and only their footsteps could be heard once the thump of the music faded.

Jet glanced around before reaching inside his pants pocket to retrieve his wallet. He pulled out an item, keeping it hidden in his fist.

"Well?" Katara was getting a little anxious.

Jet took Katara's hand and placed something thin and rectangular in her palm.

Katara blinked, confused, until she looked down. She let out a gasp. "Is this a key?"

Jet smirked, running a finger down her cheek. "Yeah."

Katara looked up at him. "To a hotel room, I bet," she said skeptically.

Jet frowned, removing his hand. "Well, yeah, of course it is."

"You can't be serious?"

"C'mon, Kat…" Jet pressed close to her body, leaning his head toward her neck. "Don't you want to continue that aspect of our relationship?" He laid kisses slowly up and down the side of her neck.

Katara shivered, damning him for remembering one of her weak spots.

Jet gave a tantalizing lick from the base of her neck to all the way up to her ear lope, giving it a slight nibble. "Don't you want to have fun again, the kind of fun that's sweaty and wet and so good it's sinful?" He breathed into her ear.

As much as she wanted to feel that again, the temptation was definitely there, she could not forget what happened after their _fun_.

She pushed him away. "No, because the last time we had fun, you didn't call me again. In fact, you mysteriously lost all forms of contact afterwards."

Jet sighed and had to resist rolling his eyes. "Katara, I told you I got busy when I started college. Coupled with work, I rarely had time to sleep, let alone call you."

"For five months? Sorry, but I really find that hard to believe."

"Well, it's the truth. So are we good now? Can we go to the hotel or what?"

Katara felt her anger rise. "You know what, I don't want to go to the hotel. In fact, I want you to be as chaste as possible for the rest of the night."

"You're fucking kidding me? All because I thought ahead?"

"No. Because you just assumed I'll just go to bed with you!"

Jet ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Unbelievable. So what, now you're back to being a frigid bitch, is that it?"

Katara slapped him hard across the face, the sound of it ringing throughout the hallway.

"Screw you!"

Jet watched her storm off, not bothering to stop her, as he cupped his stinging cheek.

"Good riddance," he mumbled.

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Katara did not know where she was going once she exited the school; she was just letting her feet carry her as far away as possible from him, and was thankful that her high school was part of a neighborhood that had shops and cafes just a handful of blocks away.

After a few moments, she realized that she was still holding the hotel key. She looked down at her fisted hand, felt the edges dig into her skin and renewed anger and hurt swelled up inside.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She tossed the key out into the street, hoping a car would come by later to crack it into smatterings.

She passed by a few eateries and coffee shops. Many of them had one too many customers in them and Katara did not feel like having prying eyes on her, knowing they would whisper about the girl in her prom dress with red rimmed eyes and smeared eye liner.

Just when she thought her luck had run out, she stopped at an empty establishment called Lo &amp; Li's Bakery, and looked inside window to make sure it was indeed devoid of clienteles.

Katara was just about to walk to the door when she heard another one open up on the side of the building. Curious, she peeked down the alleyway to see a young man step out, lighting a cigarette.

"Um, excuse me? Is this place open?"

The young man pocketed his red lighter and glanced her way. "It won't be in fifteen minutes."

Katara gave a small sigh in relief. It was something.

She thanked the guy and headed inside, taking a seat at a table in the corner.

A short moment after, the guy came back inside, walking over to his only customer. "What will it be?"

Katara twisted a napkin in her hands. "Water, please."

The young server did not bother taking out the small notebook from his apron. He did, however, take note of her state of dress and her distressed face.

With that in mind, he went back to the front counter, filled a glass with water, and then took out one of the few remaining chocolate chip cookies from the display case, placing it on a plate.

He came back, placing both items in front of her before taking a seat across from her.

Katara stirred out of her thoughts when she noticed her order. With an addition.

She glanced up. "I didn't order this."

"It's on the house," was his simple reply.

"Oh. Thank you." Katara was taken aback by the gesture, but picked up the cookie anyway and took a bite.

The young man looked out the window. "Judging by your attire, the time, and your face, I'll say that you were at your high school prom, but left early because your date was a jerk?" He glanced back at her to gauge her reaction.

Katara blinked, surprise evident all over her face. "That pretty much sums it up."

He took the lighter out of his beige slacks and twirled it around in his hand for something to do, peering out the window once more.

Katara watched him silently as she ate the rest of the cookie, washing it down with some water. She noted his features, thinking he was probably popular with the young women at his school, with his short black hair, his strong cheekbones, punctured by his eyes, which were an interesting shade of amber.

The silence was gnawing on her nerves. "So…" She glanced at his name tag. "Zuko, I'm not holding you up from closing, am I?"

He stopped the motion in his hand and looked at her. "No."

"Oh. Okay." She polished off the water.

A pause.

"Did you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"Talk about what?"

"Your jerk of a date. "

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A/N: First, chapter title credit goes to Alexz Johnson's "Pleased to Meet You." Secondly, I want to note right now that this story will start off as bumbling romance between the main characters, but this will take some serious turns and will be noted in each chapter what exactly garners a warning.


	2. Chapter 2

_Smoke in My Eyes_

Rated: M (for adult themes, alcohol and tobacco use, language and sexual situations)

Summary: In which a spark takes root.

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_she's got you high and you don't even know it yet_

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"What an ass."

Katara could only nod at Zuko's assessment of Jet and the situation. For twenty minutes, she told him the gist of her on-again-off-again relationship with her now ex-boyfriend; and after saying everything out loud, she briefly wondered what she ever saw in the guy.

"I should have listened to my Gran-Gran all along…"

"Katara, there's nothing wrong with giving people a second chance."

She frowned a bit. "Maybe, but it feels like I'm the one that always gets burned. Anyway, it's getting late, I should probably head home."

Zuko stood and collected the dishes.

"Thanks again for letting me crash here even though it was almost closing time."

Zuko gave a shrug as he headed behind the counter to place the dishes in the sink. "Not a problem."

Katara felt like there was something else she should say; it just did not feel right leaving the encounter so…unfinished.

"Do you want a lift back?" He asked casually.

"No thank you, the walk's not too far and though I really do not want to see his face right now, he has my purse."

Zuko quirked an eyebrow at that. "Did he think it would bring out the color in his eyes or something?"

Katara laughed. "No. I left it his car for safekeeping."

"I see. Be careful out there."

"Don't worry, I can handle myself just fine." Katara gave him another smile before walking out of the shop.

Zuko watched her go, a pensive look on his face.

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"Stupid shoes," Katara complained as she walked the blocks back to her high school. Her low heel shoes were starting to pinch and hurt her feet.

When she rounded the corner that led to the school's driveway, she glanced around the parking lot. To her horror, she did not see Jet's car parked anywhere.

"That fucking jerk!" Katara yelled, running the last few steps into the lot to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her.

"I don't believe this…He left. He had to know my stuff was still in his car, he just had to," Katara thought out loud, fighting back the urge to scream again.

Everything of importance was in her purse. Her house keys, her mobile, her wallet, all of it.

Katara shook her head in disbelief, walking over to the front doors for the second time that night to enter the school. Hopefully Gran-Gran would not be too angry with her for coming home earlier than expected and she would take any anger out on Jet for ditching her in the first place.

Katara went to the front desk and picked up the phone, dialing home.

She did not receive an answer. She tried a few more times after that and left a message on the last attempt. Katara then tried calling Sokka in the vain hope that he would pick up. Usually when he was on his dates, no one would hear a peep out of him, except his girlfriend; for reasons Katara did not want to think too hard about. As predicted, she again received no answer and was left with almost zero options.

Katara cursed and placed the phone down on the receiver. Dismissing the thought of walking the twenty miles back to her house, she wondered if going back to the bakery would be a good idea.

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When Katara approached the front door to the sweets shop, her body sagged in relief at seeing Zuko sweeping the floor. She tapped on the glass, getting his attention.

Zuko propped the broom on the counter and made his way over, unlocking and opening the door.

"If you want more cookies, I'm afraid I already threw them out,"

Katara shook her head.

Zuko stepped aside and Katara walked in, looking worse off than before.

"Let me guess, he took off."

"Yes! Unbelievable, right? He could have at least left my stuff inside the school somewhere, but no, he had to fulfill his application for biggest jerk of the year award."

Katara sat in a chair, giving her feet a much needed respite.

Zuko smirked at her proclamation.

"How about I drive you into the city for a cab? I'll even throw in the fare money."

"Are you sure?"

"It's no problem."

Katara glanced out the window at the dark sky then looked over at Zuko and had to admit, the night was not a total lost. At least there were still some good people out in the world.

Zuko resumed sweeping everything up, and once finished, went to the back of the store and after a moment, came back with a mop.

Katara had an idea.

"Did you want any help? Think of it as payback for the fare. After all, it's the least I can do."

Zuko paused in his mopping and shot her a dubious look.

"Did you really want to do physical labor in a dress and heels?"

Katara shrugged as she stood up. "I'll manage."

Zuko handed her the mop. "Finish the front and I'll take out the rest of the garbage."

As Zuko went to the back of the store, Katara went to work on cleaning the remainder of the black and pink tiled floor. After five or six minutes passed, both finished with their respective tasks, Zuko locked the front door, turning the sign to the '_sorry, we're closed_' side, and closed the blinds on the window.

"We'll need to go out the side door."

Katara gave a nod and followed him to the back, Zuko hitting the lights on the way.

They exited out, Zuko locking the door before leading the way to the back parking lot where his car temporarily resided.

"It's about a ten minute ride to the city," Zuko supplied as he unlocked the car doors.

"That's fine. It's easier getting a cab downtown vs. calling and playing the waiting game anyway."

Once inside, Zuko pulled out and set off toward the city.

Moments passed where neither one of them said anything else.

Katara let her eyes roam over the interior of the car, noting how clean and sparse it was. The only personal item in it was a random tea leaf keychain dangling from the rearview mirror.

She then glanced out the passenger window, everything going by in a blur of colors and lights.

"Do you think he'll give back your stuff? Zuko asked after a while.

"He will, one way or another. I have an older brother who is very overprotective, and can bench press over two hundred pounds, so yeah, he will give me back my stuff."

There was a pause, followed by a chuckle from Zuko.

"Good to know."

They fell into a comfortable silence and within moments, were entering the outskirts of the city.

Zuko wondered where the best place would be to drop off Katara. Usually taxis frequented the hotel areas, then there were the streets with all the bars, but on a second thought, he dismissed it. Too many creeps lurked around the bars.

"Oh, I see a few parked over by the Element Hotel!" Katara yelled in relief.

Zuko pulled the car into the semi-circle drive way at the front entrance. He put the car in park and then reached into his pants pocket, pulling out his wallet.

"Would thirty be enough?" he asked, leafing through a few ten dollar bills.

"It should be, yeah."

Zuko handed her the money.

"Thank you once again. I'll pay you back," she promised, forming a fist around the money so that it was hidden.

"Don't worry about it. Just make it home safely, and maybe have your brother punch the guy's face in," Zuko half joked, grinning.

Katara smirked. "I'm sure that can be arranged. See you around," she replied as she opened the door, getting out of the car. Once shut, she walked toward the row of cabs idling in front of the hotel, giving Zuko a wave.

He waved back, watching her walk over to the parked taxis by the sidewalk, waiting until she was actually inside one, giving one last wave as the driver drove off, disappearing down the street.

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_One week later…_

"We're finally free!" Katara shouted in glee.

Suki smiled, her hand grasping her diploma. "Yeah, it's a very liberating feeling."

They met up with Gran-Gran and Katara's brother, who scooped Suki up in a spinning hug outside the high school.

"Congrats, babe."

Suki giggled, face red.

Gran-Gran hugged Katara. "I'm so proud of you."

Katara gave her a squeeze before letting go. "Me too."

"So, where do you all want to go to celebrate?" Gran-Gran asked as they all began to walk to Sokka's car in the school parking lot, maneuvering through other high school graduates and their respective families.

"Oh! Can we try that new restaurant down the way? I think it's called Golden Dragon or something. I hear it's pretty good," Suki answered.

Sokka entered his key on the driver's side, unlocking all the doors.

"Sounds good to me," Sokka and Katara agreed in unison.

Gran-Gran gave a nod, climbing into the passenger side, the rest following suit.

Soon, they were driving away from the place that held so many memories: of dances, tests, mountains of homework, decorated lockers, and so much more.

As they drove, Katara noticed the street they were going down, and when they made a right, her eyes landed on the restaurant, and the shop residing two buildings down from it.

_I wonder if he's still working there…_

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"Ah, that was glorious," Sokka declared, rubbing his stomach in appreciation. The family had just finished eating their late lunch, letting the delicious food digest.

When the server came by with the check, Gran-Gran took it, holding up a hand up to Katara and Sokka to stop their impending protest.

"My treat, no arguments," Gran-Gran stated as she slipped a credit card into the black check book. "Which reminds me. Katara, Suki, these are for you."

Gran-Gran handed them each a card, which they took in kind.

"Oh, Gran-Gran, you shouldn't have," Suki replied honestly, taking the card.

"Nonsense. The way Sokka talks about you all the time, why, you're practically family," Gran-Gran teased, grinning.

"Gran-Gran!" Sokka shouted, turning red in the face.

Katara smiled, taking her card and opening it up. She read the sentiment, then her eyes widen at the amount of money tucked in it. There was five-hundred dollars and Katara wondered how her grandmother had so much to spare considering she was living off of her retirement fund. Katara glanced over at Suki's amount and saw she had half as much.

Sokka peaked over as well and whistled. "I always knew you were the favorite," he joked toward his sister.

"Weren't _you_ the one that received a car for their graduation present?" Katara shot back just as jokingly.

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As Sokka drove Suki and Gran-Gran home, Katara stayed behind. She left the restaurant only a moment after them and headed to the bakery, casually pushing the front door open.

She saw a mother and a young daughter sitting at the table, both enjoying an ice cream cone. Katara walked past them, smiling wistfully and made her way up to the front counter, where an elder woman with long grey hair done up in a high ponytail awaited her.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Hi. I was wondering if Zuko-"- what was his last name?—"was working today?" Katara asked politely.

"He is. Zuko!" the lady yelled back toward the back of the store and a moment later, he emerged, black apron tied neatly around his beige work pants, name tag firmly in place over the right strap, a maroon polo shirt residing underneath.

"Yes, Ms. Lo?"

"There's a young lady here wanting to see you," Ms. Lo answered, smirking a bit.

Zuko looked from her to Katara standing there in her navy blue graduation gown.

"Hey. Finally free, I see."

Katara laughed, his words having a sort of nostalgia feel to them. "Yeah. We actually just finished eating celebratory dinner over at the Golden Dragon. It was pretty delicious, and the owner was so jolly."

Zuko sighed, though smiled a bit. "The owner is actually my uncle."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And he's co-owner of this place too, along with Ms. Lo and her sister Ms. Li"

Katara smiled. "That's so cool. Oh yeah, the reason I came by. Here," she replied, reaching into her pocket and handing over thirty dollars.

Zuko accepted it, surprised.

"Thanks for letting me borrow it."

"Did your brother give him a punch in the face?" he asked, pocketing the money.

"Sadly no, too many people were around, but he was able to get my stuff back."

"Pity, he deserved it," Zuko answered.

Ms. Lo eyed the pair as she placed mini cupcakes on a tray on the counter. "Ya know, Zuko, you can take your fifteen minute break now."

Zuko turned red and scratched the back of his neck.

"Okay," he told Ms. Lo, then to Katara, "I'll be right back," after which he went to the back and a moment later emerged, apron long gone and a red lighter already in his hand.

"Want to sit out front for a bit?" he asked, coming from behind the counter.

"Sure," was Katara's happy reply and together, they walked out and sat on a metal bench outside the window to the shop.

Zuko pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his khakis.

"You don't mind, do you? Cause can I wait." Zuko asked, glancing at Katara sitting beside him, taking note of just the few inches of space between them.

"Not at all. In fact…" Katara glanced between him and the pack. "Could I bum one?"

Zuko looked at her, surprised. "Uh, sure."

He tapped the box and pulled out two sticks, handing her one and the lighter.

"Thanks."

Katara placed it between her lips and then tried to light it, fumbling with the lighter.

"Can you help me?" she asked with a mumbling laugh.

Zuko smiled and took the lighter, sparking it once to get a flame, using his other hand to cup around it, keeping the slight spring wind out.

Katara inhaled and only coughed slightly at the intake.

Zuko lit his own with ease and blew out a puff.

"First time?"

Katara blushed slightly.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only to someone who's been smoking for a while," was Zuko's answer as he started to watch random people go by, going about their day.

Katara watched as well, simply holding the cigarette between her thumb and forefinger, ashes drifting into the wind.

"It's about control," Katara said after a moment.

Zuko slid his eyes over to her, confused but intrigued, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"I never actually smoke it, I just hold it. It's the only time I can control fire," Katara stated cryptically. "Anyway, your break is probably almost up, I should get going."

Zuko took a pull from his cig and watched Katara stand up. He did not want to push her to explain what she meant, but he nonetheless felt the gravity of learning more about her.

"Make sure you don't hold onto it very long or else you'll get burned," Zuko remarked.

Katara looked at him, a sad smile gracing her face.

"Too late for that. See you around, Zuko."

Katara walked away, her blue graduation gown bellowing out behind her.

He watched her retreat through the smoke and briefly wondered if she would honor that promise.

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_One week later…_

Katara stretched out, pushing her bed covers aside, and slowly pieces of her subconscious floated to the forefront.

She figured she waited long enough, but it still unnerved her that she let slip something so close to her heart. She never even came close to revealing to her jerk of an ex-boyfriend and they dated for a good while.

However, Katara also felt compelled to seek him out again, even just a snippet of his time; but she did not know a good pretense she could go under to see him.

Then a light bulb went off in her head and scrambled out of the bed, quickly getting dressed before sprinting out of her room, going to the bathroom to hurriedly brush her teeth and comb her tangled hair.

Adding just a hint of lip gloss, Katara felt presentable enough to venture out.

She went to Sokka's room, knocking on the door.

"Sokka, wake up!"

Katara heard a groan, followed by a shuffling of sheets hitting the hardwood floor before the door opened, revealing Sokka's tired face.

"What is it? I had a long night, ya know."

Katara rolled her eyes at her brother's so-called long night, which really just meant he was at Suki's place well into the morning.

"Well, could you drive me somewhere real quick?"

Sokka glanced behind him and squinted at the alarm clock on his nightstand.

"At ten in the morning?"

Katara casually shrugged. "I need to pick up something for Gran and I don't want her to know just yet."

Sokka sighed then conceded. "Fine. Let me get dressed."

"Thanks, bro, you're the best!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

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Katara twisted her hands, slightly nervous as she stood in front of the bakery. Her brother long since dropped her off and driven back home. She mentally tried to brace herself and hoped she would not let anything else slip, albeit vague or blatant.

Pushing the front door open, she let her worries stay outside.

Once again the sight of an elderly woman situated behind the counter greeted Katara and she could not help but smile.

"Hey, Ms. Lo."

The lady in question looked up from her magazine was reading.

"My child, I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else."

Katara frowned in confusion until it dawned on her what Zuko told her the last time she was there, though he neglected to mention they were twins.

"Ms. Li?"

"There you go," Ms. Li replied with a smile before asking, "What can I do for you today, Miss?"

Before Katara could answer, Zuko stepped through door leading to the back, a tray full of colorful bagged cookies residing on top of it.

"Hey, Katara," he greeted, placing the tray up top of the counter next to the register.

"Hey," Katara said right back, gravitating over to the cookies and to the guy that brought them in.

Ms. Li's eyes darted between them and did not bother fighting the grin off her face.

"I'll just get the rest of the cookies from the back," she stated, already heading to the back kitchen.

"Ms. Li, I can—" started Zuko before he was cut off.

"No, no, I got it," Ms. Li stated, waving her hand as she made her way to the back, the door swinging back and forth a few times before finally stilling.

Katara bit her lip, her nerves getting to her again now that they were relatively alone.

Zuko shook his head. "I swear she's the more stubborn one of the two."

Katara smiled at that, and then picked up a bag of cookies, examining the contents.

"New item?" she asked, liking the different bright colors on the cookies in the clear bag which had a lacey, bright blue ribbon tied around the top.

Zuko nodded, picking up a bag himself.

"Yeah. Each color on the cookies represents a different fruit flavor."

"Sounds yummy and slightly risky," Katara told him.

Zuko put his bag back and took the one she held, untying the bag before gently taking a cookie out.

"Take a risk."

Katara looked at him then at the cookie a few times before nodding, leaning over and taking the cookie directly with her mouth, her lips brushing against his fingers that held it. Leaning back, she chewed, face flushed. In turn, with eyes locked on hers, Zuko lifted his fingers to his lips and gently licked off the crumbs.

"Worth it?" he asked softly.

_More than you know._

"I'll take six bags."

Which was the entire tray's worth.

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A/N: Chapter title credit goes to Mumm-Ra's "She's Got You High."


	3. Chapter 3

_Smoke in My Eyes_

Rating: M (for adult themes, alcohol and tobacco use, language and sexual situations)

Summary: In which the pair start dating.

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_I wear my heart upon my sleeve, like a big deal_

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"Hey, Katara, can we, uh, talk for a sec?" Sokka asked, stepping over an empty bag from the bakery that, over recent weeks, his sister had visited so frequently.

Katara looked up from her book she was reading on her bed, a few cookie and candy bags scattered about on her light blue comforter.

"What's up?"

"Well…" Sokka started, pushing a few bags out of his way before taking a seat at the end of the bed. "I think you have a problem."

Katara arched a brow. "What problem?"

Sokka gestured around him with his hands. "This, all of this."

"Eating? Most people would consider that a good problem to have, ya know."

"You know what I mean. I'm usually the one with the big appetite in the family, but you're starting to put me to shame."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Oh, please."

"I'm serious, sis. You have a problem," Sokka stated, then after a moment added, "You've spent over a hundred dollars there."

She gasped and stared at him. "How did you know?"

"The bags aren't the only things littering your room. There are receipts everywhere too."

Katara stood up and started cleaning up the trash in a haste to get rid of all the damning evidence.

Sokka watched his sister, shaking his head.

"Listen…I think the real problem isn't your recent high intake on sugary snacks."

Katara paused long enough to spare him a look. "You just said—"

"I know, I know. But it's stemming from something else. I think you have a cr—"

"Oh, for crying out loud, just ask the boy out already," Gran-Gran interrupted as she walked pass the opened door.

Katara, flummoxed, watched their grandmother leave, and then looked over at Sokka.

"Okay, seriously, what's going on?"

Sokka sighed before answering, "We believe you have a crush on the guy that works at the bakery and Gran-Gran thinks you should just suck it up and ask him out…Also, he's downstairs right now."

Katara felt the trash in her hands fall, too stunned to care.

Sokka stood up. "Look, I don't know much about the guy, but you've obviously taken a liking to him and just…I don't know, he's seems alright, but you've gone over there so many times that almost every room in the house has a handful of leftover bags in them."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small shake.

"So go ask him out already."

.

.

Ten minutes later, after successfully hiding all clues of _infatuation_, as Sokka acutely remarked, Katara changed out of her pajamas into a yellow polka dot sundress and matching open-toed sandals. Still feeling nervous but not being able to stay idle inside the safety of her room any longer, Katara went downstairs.

Zuko was seated on the living-room sofa, seemingly at ease in her small home, a box with the bakery logo sitting beside him.

"Hey," Katara greeted, walking over to him.

He stood up, picking up the box.

"So these are for you, I take it," Zuko replied, handing her the box. "Though why you wanted a home delivery instead of just coming to the shop is a mystery to me," he finished with an easy grin.

Katara accepted the box, smiling herself. "I guess my brother was getting tired of driving me there all the time."

Zuko chuckled at that, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Well, I should get going. I have a few more stops to make and I'm already behind—"

"I'm sorry about that! I didn't know you were on the job," Katara hastily apologized.

"It's alright, I don't mind, Katara."

She smiled at that.

"Listen, there's, uh, another reason why you're here."

Zuko shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Um…" Katara started, looking down at her blue painted toes peeking out from her sandals. She mumbled something and when Zuko asked her to clarify, she repeated:

"Would you like to go out sometime?"

.

.

A week later Katara found herself standing outside a movie theater in the setting sun. She glanced down at her thin, silver watch, having only ten minutes to go before meeting time.

The wait was almost agonizing, but a moment later, when Zuko finally appeared, Katara figured it was worth it. She watched him walk in his black cargo shorts and snug red polo shirt.

She blushed when he came near, fidgeting with the strap of her small purse.

"Hey."

"Hey."

A pause.

"Um, I bought the tickets already, just in case," Katara stated after a moment, fishing them out of her jeans pocket before handing him one.

Zuko took it with a nod. "Shall we?"

It was Katara's turn to nod and together, they entered the building.

Once inside they paid for their snacks and drinks and then trekked to into the showcase, grabbing high up center seats.

.

.

Two hours later, the pair emerged from the movie theater, both still processing the film they just viewed.

"That was a bizarre movie," Zuko stated after a while.

"Yeah. And it felt like the director was all over the place," Katara commented.

"That I didn't mind as much, I tend to like it when directors experiment a bit."

Katara shrugged. "Well, that experiment went on some weird paths. One moment the main character was sad, the next jumping with joy at finding a used cigarette on the ground, which was gross, by the way."

"I think that was to signify that smoking can be a dirty habit. You can tell with how the director used slow motion zoom on the cig butt, then later panning out to encase the whole city in a wide shot, showing the gritty street, all the smoke coming out the chimneys and the dark sky."

Katara gave him a curious look.

"Did I never mention I'm studying film as a minor?" Zuko asked, smiling at her expression.

"Not at all, but I wouldn't mind learning more if you have the time."

"I think that can be arranged."

.

.

Later, the two walked a few blocks to a café, which housed a variety of steins, wine bottles and beer cans lining the high shelves of the establishment. The menu was hand written with different color chalk and all the tables had mix-matched chairs that looked like they belonged in a fairly high priced yard sale.

They sat at a table toward the back near a refurbished jukebox with an old school cigarette dispenser next to it.

Soon after they were greeted by a server who handed them menus while listing off the daily specials; once the server was done with their routine, the couple looked over the choices listed in the menus.

"If you liked how the director was experimental, why did you say the movie was bizarre?" Katara asked as she closed her menu, having already picked a few items to get.

Zuko glanced up at her. "Bizarre doesn't necessarily mean bad; just that it had an unusual style to it, which I liked, to a point."

"Where did it fall off for you?"

Zuko thought it over before answering, "I think when the leads first had sex. Kind of came out of left field since they only knew each other for a day and there was no real connection. I felt like the director didn't do enough telling or showing to convince the audience they wanted to just jump into bed together after a day."

"I don't know. It felt genuine to me," Katara replied as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "Sometimes when you feel a spark with someone, what happens next can be instantaneous."

Just then the server came back and placed a glass of water in front of both of them before asking if they would like to order.

Katara ordered a chicken salad sandwich with a fruit cup on the side; and Zuko ordered a club melt with a side of fries and a coke. And with that written on the notepad, the server collected the menus and walked away to the back of the house.

"You really think it can happen that fast?" Zuko asked, picking up where they left off in the conversation.

Katara blushed slightly. "It's been known to happen."

Zuko mulled it over as he pictured Katara falling into the sheets after just one encounter and then briefly wondered if she felt a spark with him. He recalled the short moments she would frequent the bakery and how after every time, she would leave with a flushed face and hidden intent in her eyes, each meeting being just a tad bolder than the last; from licking her lips to ghostly kissing his fingertips as she ate something from his hand. Though, to be fair, he reacted in kind.

There was definitely an attraction there or else he doubted she would have asked him in out in the first place.

Dismissing the train of thought, Zuko switched topics by asking, "So, now that you're out of high school, what are your plans from here on out?"

"Well, seeing as how this is probably the last free summer I'll ever get, I've just been lazing about at home before university starts up," was Katara's statement, thankful for the change of conversation. She really did not want to go into details about sleeping with someone only after very limited interaction, which was exactly how it started with Jet. He came into her life when it was at one of its lowest points and he was her escape drug; his devilish smile disarmed her physical and mental barriers, how his arms would hold her, his kisses made her sigh in delight, and the things he did with his tongue really should have been illegal.

"Oh? Do you have a major in mind or are you just going to see what fits you best before making a decision?"

Katara picked up her straw, tearing it open before depositing it into her glass.

"I'm going to major in Environmental Science, and I plan on taking classes during the summer next year so that one, I don't forget what I learned and two, so I'm not stuck taking classes forever."

Zuko nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I wish I did that. I thought taking a year off would be beneficial but it wasn't and I ended up going back a year and a half later instead."

"So what's your major?"

"Architecture."

For some reason, Katara imagined Zuko wearing glasses, inked fingertips, tracing papers scattered on the floor and looking over blueprints, a pencil in one hand and a compass in the other; and the image made her giggle.

Zuko grinned. "I'm glad my career choice is funny."

Katara shook her head, smiling. "No, no, it's not that. It's just I had a really nerdy version of you pop into my head and it made me laugh. Sorry."

Zuko took a sip of his water before placing it back down on the table.

"Don't be, it's alright. Actually, I think I might have something to help your imagination."

Curious, Katara watched as Zuko reached into his shorts pocket and pull out a case and opening it, retrieving a pair of brown, rectangular-framed glasses from within.

"You're kidding?"

"Nope," Zuko replied simply, slipping the glasses on.

Katara bit her lip, liking this version of Zuko better than the one in her head.

Zuko's eyes widen a touch as he saw Katara get that look in her eyes again like those times at the bakery.

He was going to address it right then and there because he needed it verbalized, but before he could their server came back with their orders.

"Alright, I have a chicken salad sandwich for you," their server stated, placing a plate in front of Katara and then placing another in front of Zuko along with a can of coke. "And these are for you. Is there anything else I can assist you with at the moment?"

_Yeah, a knife to cut this mounting tension,_ was Zuko's thought.

.

.

The evening progressed into more talks of university, the twins at the bakery and Katara betting Zuko to buy a pack of cigarettes from the ancient looking vending machine, which he did.

Soon after, Zuko drove Katara home for the night, putting the car in park.

"Did you want me to walk you up?"

"Nah, I should be fine. Thank you for a lovely evening, Zuko."

"You're welcome."

There was a brief moment of silence before Zuko, feeling adventurous, leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. At least, that was the plan, which immediately backfired because at that same moment, Katara turned her head just so and they ended up kissing one another on the lips.

Surprised, Zuko pulled back a second later.

"I'm sorry, I meant to only—"

"It's okay, really. I didn't mind," Katara interjected, her cheeks redden despite her words.

There was a pause, and then Zuko asked, "Oh, if that's the case, do you mind if I kissed you again?"

Katara leaned over and kissed him fully.

That was answer enough.

.

.

_A week later…_

Katara was braiding a few strands of her hair in the bathroom mirror when Sokka knocked on the opened door.

"Your date's here," he announced.

"Already? Tell him I'll be down in five minutes."

Sokka gave his sister a once over, confused. "Aren't you ready now? What else is there to do?"

"Just some finishing touches," was her reply as she used the braid to tie the rest of her hair into a low ponytail.

Sokka shrugged and then left, going downstairs to let the man in waiting know.

Katara checked her appearance in the mirror and tugged her green and white striped tank top down making sure that the top of her shorts were not showing, then applied some chap-stick to her lips. Satisfied with the results, Katara walked into her room, slipping on her black open-toed sandals and grabbed her wallet and phone off the bed, stuffing the items into her pockets.

She descended the stairs and made her way into the living-room, seeing Zuko seated on the couch, a sense of déjà vu washing over her.

"Hey."

"Hey, Ka—" Zuko cut himself off as his eyes zeroed in on Katara's outfit and briefly wondered if she was trying to compete with the hot weather outside.

He cleared his throat and stood. "I'm afraid I didn't bring any treats with me today."

"That's alright. You'll do," was her cheeky reply.

.

.

Their second date was held at a park. Tall, lush trees framing an open field of green grass and pockets of flowers ranging from tulips to gardenias scattered throughout the park. There was a huge, circular water fountain in the center of it all, where families and other couples took residence for the afternoon.

Zuko, with a picnic basket on one arm and a black and blue checkered quilt in the other, guided them over to a fairly deserted spot a few meters away from the crowd, putting the basket down and then laying out the quilt.

"This place is gorgeous," Katara remarked as she took a seat on the quilt once Zuko straightened it out over the grass.

Zuko sat down, pulling the basket it in front of them and opening it up. "Yeah. I used to come here a lot as a kid. Not so much nowadays, though," he said, taking out a few containers.

"Really? How come?" she questioned, opening a container that held their sandwiches.

Zuko glanced at her, then at the families around the fountain, watching two kids run around their parents' legs, another couple sitting on the fountain as they looked longingly into each others' eyes; a woman with a young boy walking hand and hand while she walked a small dog.

"I used to come here when my family was actually a family," Zuko stated after a while. "Things went to hell in a hand basket after my parents divorced. When it happened, my mom left, my sister went with my father and I went into the care of my Uncle, who you've met already."

Katara stared at him, processing the new information, her sandwich paused in mid-lift.

"Wow. Um, if you don't my asking, why did your parents get divorced?"

"It's…It's complicated."

"Oh," Katara supplied, casting her eyes down and after a few seconds, took a bite from her sandwich.

"I'm sorry. It's still kind of hard to talk about," Zuko answered as he picked up his food, "but I'll definitely tell you more later, just, not here."

Katara gave a nod, "Promise?"

"I swear."

.

.

In three week's time and after a handful of dates, Zuko kept his word and little by little revealed more of himself to Katara, and he learned things about her too.

Katara was informed of Zuko's family history, starting when he was a child, and how those days held happier times like baking mishaps in the kitchen with his mother which always ended with hugs and laughter that seemed to linger in their home; and times in which his father treated him and his sister, Azula, equally, though later on in their pre-teen years, his father started to show favoritism toward his younger sibling. That divide became apparent after the divorce that stemmed from an affair his father had with a co-worker in his company. When Zuko's mother found out, she tried to forgive him and stick it out for the sake of the family, but one day when Zuko came home and heard noises from his parent's bedroom, he investigated and discovered his father kept the affair going. When his mother came home later, Zuko told her what he saw. She left in result of the news, stating she needed to get away for a while.

That was the first time his father raised a hand at him.

That was over thirteen years ago.

Katara offered up bits of her past too. She told him about the time her mother died since it was the event that set everything into motion. Back then, when she was eight, Sokka ten, they went on a camping trip with their parents up in the mountains for a week. In the beginning, everything went off without a hitch. Their dad showed them how to pitch a tent, gather non-poisonous food, water from the stream, and even how to hunt small game, though Katara admittedly did not like the last all that much. Their mom would showed them how to clean cuts and treat bruises, which Sokka accumulated quite a bit of during the trip; she also showed them how to mend clothing and things of that ilk.

However, by day four, all those skills they stored into memory did not prepare them for what happened next.

It was late and they were settling down for the evening. Their dad and Sokka were in the woods gathering more timber for the campfire while a young Katara stayed behind with her mom. She was showing off her newfound sewing handiwork on a pair of Sokka's pants, and as Katara twirled around with them in hand, she lost her footing and was about to land in the campfire when her mom intervened by grabbing a hold of her daughter and quickly spinning her away from the flames. However, the momentum sent her into the fire instead.

Once Katara got her bearings and the dizziness faded, she heard an ear-piercing scream.

When Katara turned and her eight year old mind started to comprehend what she was witnessing, her scream sent birds into the air and her dad and brother running back.

Even after patting out the flames, the extent of the damage was severe and the shock of the event killed her before help arrived twenty minutes afterwards. Twenty minutes too late.

After that, things were never the same again.

For years, Katara blamed herself and became a bit of a recluse. She kept to herself and after a while, their home became too much to bear for her dad and they ended up putting it up on the market. When it sold, he took them to live with their Gran-Gran, after which time, he left them completely, stating he needed to do some soul searching.

That was over four years ago.

.

.

When each date ended and the conversation lulled, there was a comfortable quiet in Zuko's car as he smoked a cigarette, blowing the smoke out an opened window while Katara simply held hers.

One evening, as Katara examined the unlit stick, she asked, "Aren't these the ones I dared you to buy at the café?"

"Yeah. They're a good brand and they used straight tobacco, no other added additives. So they don't have that lingering after taste, which is nice."

"So they weren't expired after all?"

Zuko grinned. "No. It was only the machine that was old, not the cigarettes."

Katara twirled the cig a few times, contemplating how she was going to broach something else that has been plaguing her mind for some time. Despite the few kisses in the beginning, they have not taken any further physical action than that and it was starting to grate on her nerves. Each time their date winded down and right after he would put the car in park, they would bid one another good night and that was all; though Katara did not want it to end. While she liked learning more about him, she also wanted his pale, nimble fingers to glide over her brown skin and feel his surprisingly soft lips on hers once again.

She felt cowardly, though, even after almost a month of dating. It was no problem at all when it was Jet, but for some reason, it was harder crossing over certain lines with Zuko. Perhaps, it was because her previous relationship made her more cautious, at least on the physical front.

It was then, when she was lost in thought, a warm hand on her exposed knee took her out of her musings.

"Katara? Everything alright?"

She looked at him and when she was sure he looked her back square in the eyes, she stated:

"It will be once you move it higher."

The unfinished cigarette fell from his hand and gracefully drifted out the window, to the ground, forgotten.

.

.

A/N: Chapter title credit goes to Calvin Harris's "Feel So Close."


	4. Chapter 4

_Smoke in My Eyes_

Rating: M (for adult themes, alcohol and tobacco use, language and sexual situations)

Summary: In which their relationship escalates.

.

.

_sitting through the days I'm wasting away till the weekends_

.

.

Katara stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom, lost in thought. It had been only a day since she upped the ante on their relationship, but she held no regrets. She could still feel his lips on her neck while his hand inched up her skirt from her knee to her thigh; and as his fingertips grazed the fabric of her panties, he whispered: "_Is this high enough for you?_"

It was not. However, not wanting to repeat a hasty bed hopping move and actually wanting their relationship to matter so much more than her last, she answered that it would do for now. Soon after, they exchanged a few heated kisses before she got out of the car, wishing him a good night.

"_It will be, now,"_ he had replied, and the look in his eyes was unforgettable.

The heat in them rivaled the sun itself.

.

.

The next day as Katara was seated at her desk going through all the paperwork that came in the mail earlier from university, her phone vibrated once, then twice.

Katara's heart hammered in her chest as she quickly snatched up the phone, and there on the screen were three text messages from Zuko.

The first simply said: _Hey._

It was the second message that made her stare and then read it over and over.

"_I need to see you."_

The third message had more to say: "_Would you like to come over today? My Uncle has the pool ready, so we can go swimming. He also has some BBQ stuff too, if you're hungry. Let me know._"

Katara had a bag packed and was yelling for Sokka to give her a ride in two minutes flat.

.

.

When Katara went to knock on front door, her fist barely tapped it before it opened, Uncle Iroh standing there with an infectious smile on his face.

"Ah, Katara! So glad you could make it!"

Katara smiled. "Glad to be here."

"Come, come," he said as he ushered her into the small split level home.

Katara crossed the threshold, the smell of cooked meats and vegetables wafting by her nose immediately from the open door leading to the backyard.

"Zuko is out by the pool already," Iroh stated, walking into the kitchen to retrieve something from the fridge. "If you need to change, there's a guest bath down the hall on the right."

"Thank you," Katara replied politely as she made her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her to switch out of jeans shorts and blue t-shirt and into her red and white horizontally striped bikini.

Once everything was tucked and in place, Katara emerged, heading toward the backyard, passing by Iroh, who was humming and chopping away at something on a cutting board.

The sight that greeted her almost made her mouth salivate.

She barely noticed the grill emitting declivous aromas a few feet away from Zuko, who was laying back on reclining pool chair, clad only in his black swim trunks, which clashed beautifully against his light skin; his hair was plastered to his head, which meant he was in the pool fairly recently. His eyes were shut to prevent the sun from getting in his eyes, but they soon opened and when he glanced her way, her heart momentarily stopped.

Katara's eyes darted down to the brick pathway as she clutched the towel a little higher up on her waist.

"Uh, hey…" she greeted, suddenly feeling shy.

Zuko stood up, running a hand through his wet hair as he walked up to her and for a moment, he did not say anything but simply looked at her.

Katara swallowed as she saw his feet come into her view, practically feeling the heat radiate from his body at his close proximity.

When she received no answer, she looked up.

She saw him start to lean down, for a hug or a kiss or both, she did not know, and she was not going to because just then Iroh came bustling out the door way, a tray of veggies and fruits in hand.

"Who's hungry?"

.

.

Once the food was ingested and enough time had passed, Zuko and Katara jumped into the pool to cool their sun-kissed skin.

For a while, Iroh simply sat outside with them, reading a book about _karuta_, seemingly not paying any attention to the pair in the water.

Still, Zuko made sure to check himself whenever Katara swam near him, which was often, because he wanted nothing more than to pull the strings of her bikini.

"Ah, the water feels so good, doesn't it?" Katara asked, trying to keep the mood light.

Zuko had to agree but his mind could not help but think about what else could feel good, even better, than the pool at that moment.

"Yeah, it does. Just what the doctor ordered on such a hot summer day," he finally answered, floating in the water. "I know something that can make this even better, though."

Katara peered at him curiously and a second later was splashed in the face.

Shocked, she did not react at first, but the shock only lasted a couple of seconds before she fired back and soon, they went to war, both their weapons of choice the water.

Iroh snuck a few glances at the pair and smiled, glad his nephew was finally opening up to someone new.

After a while, however, Iroh started to feel too much of a voyeur and decided to give the young adults some time to themselves.

"Nephew!" he yelled, putting a bookmark in his novel before standing up. When he saw he had their attention, he continued, "I'm going to stop by restaurant, make sure everything is still going smoothly, then I'm going to stop by the store, pick up a few things for dessert. Maybe even some fireworks."

"Oh, fireworks! That would be lovely," said Katara as she swam up to the poolside, placing her arms on the ledge.

"Indeed," Iroh remarked and then walked through the door, sliding it close behind him.

Moments later, Katara felt Zuko's chest lightly touching her back, his arms caging her in on either side.

The air seemed to crackle with tension now that they were alone.

"Katara," he whispered.

"Yes?"

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about that night…"

Katara did not need him to clarify which night, she remembered it quite fondly herself.

"I haven't, either."

"And now…" Zuko started as he pressed closer. "Now you're here."

Katara could only nod.

"Do you know what else I haven't been able to get out of mind?" Zuko spoke softly, bringing a hand over to ghost over her hipbone, the string of her bikini bottoms only a centimeter away.

"I have a hunch," Katara answered breathily. "But we really should take this elsewhere."

"Oh? Like where?"

"Your room, maybe."

.

.

Zuko had her pressed against his bedroom door the second it was closed and locked, his lips on hers to deliver kiss after mind-numbing kiss. He then tugged on the string to the top of her bikini, the only thing holding it up then was their bodies.

Katara pulled back. "Zuko, wait…"

"What's wrong?" he asked, placing his hands on her hips.

"Nothing. Just…" she trailed off, not knowing how to ask if they should go all the way and if they did, if they were prepared for it.

"Is this something you really want?" she asked instead.

Zuko looked at her, surprised she even had to ask.

"Katara, I've wanted you since we shared that moment outside the bakery."

She blushed, amazed he picked that moment out of all the ones they shared.

"Mine was when I ate the cookie out of your hand the first time," she admitted.

Zuko smirked. "Oh, I definitely remember that. How your lips parted to accept it and they were so soft against my fingers…" He then brought a hand up and touched two fingertips to her lips, which she instantly parted and took the digits into her mouth, nibbling on them just so.

Zuko groaned, the feeling resonating down to his cock.

Not wanting to stay idle, he slipped his other hand right underneath her breasts, wanting badly to finally remove the garment in his way. "May I?"

Katara gave a nod and within seconds was separated from the damp top and let out a sigh against his fingers in her mouth as he gently massaged one of her breasts.

"God, Katara. I don't think you realize how much I've wanted to touch these all day today."

Katara leaned back a tad to let his fingers fall away from her lips. "I'm beginning to."

With his other hand now free, Zuko used it to pull the string of her bikini bottoms and then push the material down past her thighs.

Katara could not believe it was finally happening, after over two months of back and forth flirting and not so subtle hints; she was finally going to fuck this man.

"Trunks. Off," she ordered, wanting to even the playing field.

Zuko stepped back, taking a moment to admire her entire form before divesting himself of his swim trunks.

It was Katara's turn to stare in awe.

Zuko's hand gently grasping her wrist stirred her out of her thoughts and he walked her over to his bed.

He sat down, pulling Katara to stand between his legs. Zuko looked up at her, drinking in the sight of her, astonished they reached this point already in their relationship; though, if he were honest, he did not want it any other way.

Zuko lightly ran a hand over her thigh and then down to the back of her knee. "Are you sure?" he asked, wanting to be certain that this was what she truly desired.

She answered by climbing into his lap and grinding against him.

"No more words, Zuko."

So he stopped using words and instead used his mouth, tongue, fingers and cock that made her moan, giggle and scream with nails biting into his skin in pleasure.

.

.

Bodies at long last spent and almost depleted of energy, the couple laid in the crumbled sheets, Zuko let out a puff of smoke from a cigarette he lit after their bout of love making.

"Pass that my way," Katara sleepily requested.

Zuko handed it over, expecting her to only hold it but was taken aback when she took a long pull from the cig instead, exhaling the smoke slowly before handing it back to him.

"I thought…?'

"After all that, I need it," was her reply and seconds later, she was asleep.

Zuko smiled at that, smoking the remainder of the tobacco stick before snuffing it out in an ashtray on his nightstand.

He fell asleep soon after.

.

.

What felt like an eternity was only a half an hour of rest, but when Zuko awoke and felt a warm presence lying next to him, he wanted it to be.

He draped an arm over her waist and pulled her close, eyes shutting once more. He dabbed soft kisses to the back of her neck, which made her stir.

"Mm. What time is it?" Katara asked tiredly.

"Time to get up, unfortunately. Uncle will probably be back soon."

Katara groaned at that and then sat up groggily, her hair a wild mess.

Zuko smiled at her unkempt appearance before he got up, walking over to his discarded trunks on the floor, bending over to collect it.

Katara sat up, grateful for the perfect timing to admire Zuko's backside. She wished they could had stayed in bed longer so she could feel his warm, harbored breath on her neck, his heated skin rubbing against hers; and to enjoy his cock gliding back and forth inside her once more. Although it only lasted ten minutes and took a few false pushes to really get it in, between the foreplay beforehand and being on razor's edge from their last date, it was well worth it.

As it was, Katara had to face the music, sort of speak, and so she got out of the bed, stretching her arms above her head.

Once his trunks were securely tied, Zuko looked back at his new lover and could not fight back a smile, but it soon disappeared when he heard the sound of his Uncle's old Volkswagen beetle pulled into the driveway of his home.

"Shit," he stated as he started to gather up Katara's bikini and handed them off to her. "Here. I'll stall him to buy you some time."

Katara nodded before making a beeline to the bathroom, clutching her swimsuit to her chest, closing the door swiftly but quietly behind her.

Zuko sighed, trying to calm down his boner at seeing Katara streak past him. After taking a few more deep breaths, he ran a hand through his hair, hoping the action made it look less tousled.

"Here goes nothing," Zuko muttered to himself as he left his room and walked down the ten steps, turning the slight corner into the kitchen just in time to see his Uncle enter through the side door.

"Ah, nephew! You will not believe all the goodies I was able to snag," Iroh declared happily, settling a few bags on the counter.

_I bet they're nothing compared to the ones I had earlier_, Zuko thought with a grin.

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Twenty minutes later the trio was all situated by the pool once more in the setting sun, taking residence in the lawn chairs and each enjoying a brownie topped with vanilla bean ice cream. When they were finished, Iroh handed them both a few sparklers.

"I'm afraid these were all that were left," he replied sheepishly, "Though they did have some smoke bombs and poppers."

Zuko smiled. "These will do, Uncle. Thank you."

Pleased, Iroh lit his own stick before passing the lighter to the Katara.

_Best summer ever_, Katara thought as she watched the tiny flame swirled and tickled her sparkler to life.

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"All packed?" Sokka asked as he made his third trip up the steps to his sister's room. He was still in a state of denial about her leaving to live on campus, which was an hour away. Sokka feared for her safety, of creepers and her getting homesick the minute her feet passed through the gates of the university.

"Just about, yeah," Katara answered back, cramming some notebooks into a backpack before zipping it up, slugging it over her shoulder.

As they descended the steps, Sokka called over his shoulder, "The moment you start to miss me or Gran, call me and I'll come get you."

Katara could not help but roll her eyes at that. "Sokka…"

"I'm serious," Sokka started, walking out the front door to his car. "I'll drop whatever I'm doing to go to you, sis."

Katara smiled, embracing him in a tight hug. "You have nothing to worry about, I'll have my phone on me always and Suki's there too," she mumbled into his shirt.

She also knew that her brother was going to be around more due to Suki being at the same university as her, so Katara envisioned many weekends of him coming up for one reason or another.

Still, she was grateful regardless.

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After Sokka dropped her off at her dormitory and after another bear hug, tears in both their eyes, Katara was left alone. Despite all the other students, newcomers and veterans alike going about their day, she was by herself for the first time in her life. It was a liberating yet sobering feeling.

Katara glanced at the boxes at her feet, sighing already at the prospect to having to unpack and organize everything. It felt like she was starting anew again and while she wanted the fresh start, she wanted to postpone it anyway.

Katara looked down at the key in her hand she received earlier at the office and taking a deep breath, she slid it into the lock of her new home and was rewarded with a lot of pink smattered about in the room.

Well, half of the room anyway.

Apparently her new roommate had a favorite color.

As if she was conjured from Katara's thoughts, she popped out from behind a closet door.

"Hi! I'm your roomie. Name's Ty Lee!"

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In the span of twenty minutes while Katara unpacked her assorted possessions, she learned quite a lot about her roommate.

Ty Lee was one of seven girls in her family and had stated that the family genes ran strong, thus resulting in all of them having very similar, almost identical features. Because of this, Ty Lee had to compete for basically everything growing up; from her parents love to friends in school and everything else in between. Ty Lee admitted to Katara that she was eternally grateful she was afforded the opportunity to attend a university that none of her sisters had ever attended.

Katara listened with mild interest, only able get a few hummed responses out here and there while Ty Lee pattered on about this sister or that sister or about the few friends she did make in elementary that lasted well into high school, people Katara did not even know, until a name surfaced that she knew quite well.

"Wait, did you say Zuko?" Katara asked as she tried to pull an end of her sea blue fitted sheet onto a corner of her new twin bed.

"Yeah! He's one of my best friends. He really looked out for me growing up, like the time Azula tried to make me eat my own hair, cause it was so long back then, and so she…"

Katara stopped listening, her mind trying to connect everything together. She never once heard Zuko claim he had any friends, let alone a best friend. She wondered what else she did not know about him.

Katara casted her eyes over at her roommate, who was still talking animatedly, and could not help but also wonder if they ever…

When it became silent, Katara mentally shook herself out of her musings and smiled guiltily.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I do have a habit of going on and on, so whenever that happens just say, 'Ty Lee, shut up, you're talking too much' and I'll get the picture," Ty Lee replied with a smile.

"I would never say that, that's way too harsh," Katara stated, taken aback.

Ty Lee shrugged. "Everybody else does. Well, except for Zuko; he would just give me an amused sort of wary look. Which reminds me, how do you know him?"

Katara felt her cheeks heat. "Uh…Well, we're dating."

Ty Lee blinked slowly as if processing the new information before a huge smile broke out on her face.

"Oh wow! So that's why Zuko was so damn happy this summer, now it all makes sense, though why he didn't give me the reason was a mysterious to me until now. Oh. Oh…" and it was then that the smile left her face completely, like a fleeting dream.

Katara felt like she was watching one person carry on a two–person conversation.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Ty Lee fiddled with the end of her long braid of hair, unsure how to broach the issue.

"Well, you see, and this should not taint your image of Zuko, he really is a good guy, no doubt about it, and it's not like Zuko lives with him anymore, so that definitely has helped, but his father…" Ty Lee trailed off for a moment before continuing. "His father has a really narrow-minded look on things."

"Meaning?" Katara questioned, wanting Ty Lee to just spit it out already.

Ty Lee looked at Katara sadly.

"He's a racist, and he would never approve of you two being together."

Just then the end of Katara's fitted sheet popped off the corner and rolled in into itself.

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A/N: Chapter title credit goes to Laurel's "Fire Breather."


	5. Chapter 5

_Smoke in My Eyes_

Rating: M (for adult themes, alcohol/tobacco use, language and sexual situations)

Summary: In which the pair have their first fight.

A/N: It's probably obvious where the direction this story is going, but just to be on the safe side, from here on out this story will deal with racial tension between the leads and the surrounding characters.

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_like a fella once said, ain't that a kick in the head_

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Katara was seated on her halfway covered bed, the fitted sheet forgotten and Ty Lee long gone after her admission about Zuko's father. She left with the parting words: _'I mean, if you two are serious about being together then that shouldn't stop you. It's not like his father has been in his life much since…Well anyway, give Zuko a call, I'm sure he'll keep seeing you no matter what.'_

Katara sighed, unsure of what to do. She looked at her phone residing on the small, wooden nightstand, debating if she should call him, get things sorted. Yet, Katara was afraid it was all going to be true and then what would she do? Katara knew she did not want to end things so abruptly, her feelings ran too deep. While they were not at the 'I love you' stage, what they had was definitely more than a simple 'I like you.'

Katara grabbed her phone and pressed the home button, the little screen lighting up with a picture of them as the wallpaper. Her smile was instant as she remembered what transpired before the photo was taken.

It was the weekend before university started, two after the BBQ event, and she was over at Zuko's house Saturday evening, both of them in the living room, lying on a comfy dark green couch as movie credits scrolled across the TV screen opposite them.

Whatever the movie was, Katara had forgotten long ago for she was much more preoccupied by Zuko's hands holding her thighs open for his greedy mouth to feast on her clitoris under her skirt, her purple underwear dangling from her left ankle. When it became too much and her cries became too loud, Zuko moved a hand up to her mouth and slipped two fingers into it, trying to stifle her moans, almost to no avail.

Katara was in heavenly hell and was teetering on the edge, needing something to give her a final push. As if reading her mind, or maybe just how her body was responding, Zuko sat up, nudging his pants down just enough to free his cock before sliding it fully inside her. The motion caught her off guard and made her back arch just enough as his cock grazed _that_ spot, over and over again almost relentlessly and she could tell Zuko was just as desperate for release as she.

It came all too soon and not a moment too late.

A minute or so passed where they spoke in labored breaths and flickers of eye contact, sweat and releases mixing to form the essence of them.

Zuko eventually moved out of the apex of Katara's legs, sitting back against the couch, running a hand through his hair.

Katara stayed where she was, her body tingling as she rode the aftermath for as long as she could.

Zuko darted his eyes to her half exposed body, assigning the image to memory.

"Don't tell me I put you to sleep?" he inquired with a smirk.

"No," Katara muttered as she sat up, reaching down to pull her panties off her ankle that needed almost as much as a clean up as she did. Tugging her purse over that sat on the floor, Katara discarded the soiled garment inside.

Zuko stood, languidly arranging his cock back into his pants before zipping them up.

"Hungry?" he asked, straightening out his black polo shirt next.

Katara stood up too, a decision she regretted as she felt wetness start to glide down her leg.

Embarrassed, she hastily nodded, soon excusing herself to go to the bathroom.

When she finished cleaning up, pulling on a back-up pair of underwear, she felt presentable to face more than the four walls of the bathroom, so Katara walked back, going to the kitchen where Zuko was preparing a huge salad.

She peered over. "Looks good," she replied, snagging a chopped carrot and popping it into her mouth.

Zuko glanced her way. "Yeah, you do."

Katara pushed at his shoulder playfully, her cheeks pinked. "I meant the salad."

"I know," he voiced with a smile as he tossed a medley of veggies into a bowl of lettuce. He then walked over to the fridge to retrieve some dressing before coming back to pour a good amount over the salad.

Katara watched, struck at how normal all this felt. Not to say she wanted to pick out curtains or anything, but they were already in that unique place of more than friends but not in a 2AM morning call kind of friends sort of way.

It was nice and only filled her with slight apprehension.

"Zuko, let's take a picture!" she announced suddenly.

He quirked a brow in the middle of placing two cups of apple juice on a tray to go with the salad bowl that sat beside two plates and two forks.

"Right now?" he asked.

"Yeah, why not," Katara expressed, digging out her phone from her skirt pocket, a little amazed it did not tumble out during their previous activity.

Zuko shrugged and stood next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

Katara held out her phone, the camera display screen standing by.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

They both smiled and when Katara went to press the button, Zuko sneaked a kiss on her cheek, which made her gasp and that exchange was forever digitally captured.

Katara shook her head, coming back into present time, the smile still fitting her face.

She made the call.

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Zuko was stuffing his shoulder bag with another notebook when his cell phone rang.

He fished it out of his bag and as he looked at Katara's face light up the screen, he answered, grinning already.

"Missing me so soon?" he questioned, slinging the satchel unto his right shoulder, walking out of his room and down the stairs.

"Yeah, but…"

Zuko frowned, noting her voice taking on a somber tone.

"Katara? What's wrong?"

"It could be nothing, but I heard," then she sighed before finishing, "I heard something and again, it could be nothing, but I need to know."

Now Zuko was truly confused. "Need to know what? Katara, what are you trying to say?"

"What am I to you?"

Zuko sat down on the couch in the living room and briefly wondered how in a span of two days they went from having such intimate relations on that very couch to the conversation he was trying to make sense of right now.

"You're someone who has become very special to me," he finally answered honestly.

"Enough so that if your father was to object to our relationship you'd defend us?"

Zuko's mind skidded to a halt and then the floodgate of memories burst forth, of times in which his father would say things his five year old mind did not comprehend; however, Zuko soon learned that what his father would say about anyone that was not like them such as, _insignificant_ or _not worth his time_, never once did it sit well with him.

Zuko remembered his father also never letting his hand touch anyone else's' whenever he exchanged money for purchases at the store, or even let anyone handle his items into bags, declaring that he was fine and did not want to bother them with such trivial matters. Later on Zuko overheard him tell his mother that he did not want to catch anything from _those people_.

When his father left him in the care of his uncle, Zuko realized just how much that was a blessing in disguise because if it were not for his uncle's influence, Zuko feared he would have become a shadow of his dad. Zuko sometimes wondered if his sister fared well by staying under father's roof. He did not hear from her much nowadays, just tidbits from Ty Lee or Uncle and it was always something vague like _she's Azula_, doing her own thing. Still, he missed her.

"Katara…" he started, reaching into his pocket, taking out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "My father hasn't been in my life for years and even if he was, it wouldn't matter. He has no say so on whom I date and I would very much so like to continue seeing you," he finished, lifting the cig to his lips.

He could practically feel her relief over the phone as she let out a long exhale. Still, he was curious of the origin of her question.

"But how did you know about my father?"

She did not say anything at first but eventually stated, "Your friend, Ty Lee. She's my roommate and kind of spilled the beans to me."

Zuko grunted. It figured that out of all the universities in the country, Katara would room with his childhood friend and somehow talked about his father, of all subjects. Though, if he were completely honest, he was thankful the proverbial cat was out of the bag.

"Yeah, she does that, but if you make it clear that whatever you say is a secret, you couldn't ask for a better person to keep it," Zuko said, smiling faintly. "So…Are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good," Katara responded with newfound confidence.

"Hm. So, what are you wearing?" he asked next before blowing out a puff of smoke.

She laughed on the other end, "A blue tank top and jean shorts, nothing special."

"I beg to differ. What's underneath?"

She giggled again, "Never you mind. Good bye, Zuko."

"Later, Katara," he answered with a laugh as he hung up.

He stood, taking one last look at the living room that held so many memories in such a short amount of time from the summer. Zuko secured his bag across his chest and shoulder before putting out his cigarette in an astray on the coffee table, and then walked out of his uncle's home to his car, a moment later driving away to his university.

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Once early evening time rolled around, all the students were gathered in the huge open gym of the athletic building on campus. It had been cleaned up for the incoming freshmen, towers of curtains and school colors draped the walls, round plastic tables with thick white clothes were scattered across the entire floor of the gym and jugs of water and cups were at each setting. As they filed in, each person assigned to a different table with a number in order to mix them up. Once seated, the head of the university rambled on about what an honor it was to meet this year's class and what an amazing academic journey would be offered to them at the university. If they of course, followed some ground rules.

Several juniors and seniors in red shirts came onto the stage and began reading through the list of rules and curfews they had apparently all agreed to when signing up for college. Apparently the school administration thought if the rules were delivered from their peers instead of the president of the university, it would help freshmen respect them. Unfortunately there was no way to make any such droning interesting and Katara struggled to pay attention after the first twenty minutes.

When they were finally done, the new students were told to stay and mingle, enjoy the special dinner that would be there shortly, and in the meantime check out all the student clubs the university had to offer. Along the back wall and sides of the room smaller rectangular tables had been set up with pictures, bowls of candy, slogans and smiling upperclassmen with sign-up sheets and talking points. As Katara walked around and visited different booths for clubs, archery, drama, rugby, she ran into one that piqued her interest. It was called Diversity on Campus and behind it was a striking student named Haru, as indicated by his nametag. He had long hair tied back into a low ponytail and a goatee, handing out pamphlets. Curious, she accepted a pamphlet, her eyes skimming the bullet points on the three-sided page. When she felt informed enough, she asked a few questions.

"Hi, my name is Katara and I was wondering what your club entails entirely."

"Well, our main objective is to educate people, as well as hosting events through the year both on campus and off to get the word out," Haru started. "We're also recognized by the university quite well and if at any time a student feels wronged due to their race, they can come to us and in certain cases, we bring the issue to the foreground and really try to get justice for them."

Katara nodded, listening intently. "Is racism a big problem here?" she asked.

"Honestly, it varies," Haru said with a shrug. "Some years there isn't much commotion, but other years, it influxes, particularly in April."

"Why April?" Katara could not help but question.

Haru stroked his goatee in thought. "Keep in mind I have no concrete evidence, but I believe it's because Hitler's birthday is in April so a lot of sympathizers come out and try to carry on his work, of sorts."

"That's unsettling, to say the least," Katara remarked.

"Indeed. In any case, were you interested in joining? I promise it's not all bad, we have fun just hanging out and being together too," Haru stated with a smile.

"Sure."

Haru handed her a clipboard and a pen from a nearby table. "Just sign your full name and a way of contacting you, either phone, e-mail, whichever works best."

Katara wrote all the aforementioned items before handing the clipboard back to Haru.

"Alright. Thanks for joining, Katara. I'll make sure to get your on our weekly newsletter. Did you have any other questions?"

"When's the first meeting?" she asked.

"We meet every other Wednesday, so next week will be our first meeting, where we'll go over the gist of the club, have ice breaker questions, things like that," Haru told her. "Oh, and snacks are provided as well," he finished with a smile.

"That's definitely crucial," Katara joked.

Haru laughed lightly. "Always, or else people would start falling asleep without some caffeine."

"Or sugar," Katara shot back, thinking of all the sweet treats she ingested over the summer.

"That too. So, Katara, if you don't my asking, what brings you to this university in particular?"

"The Environmental Science department is one of the best in the country, from what I heard," she told him honestly.

It turned out that Haru was also majoring in Environmental Science and they would have some of the same classes together, which they both made sure to register for after the opening speech.

He also informed her that he was the first person in his family to go to college, which made it a huge deal for them, coupled with the fact that he was Native American (Blackfoot), it was definitely a turning point in his family. Haru joked that when he was awarded a scholarship that it was because the university needed to fulfill a quota. As Haru laughed it away, there was a trace of sadness in his eyes, which made Katara briefly ponder if the same could be said about her.

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As Katara walked back to her dorm her phone vibrated twice. She reached into her bag and read the messages, the first from her brother. He wanted to know if she was settling in okay, to which she replied she was doing fine, no hiccups with anything thus far. The next one was from Zuko asking if she wanted to go out for dinner. His university was only fifteen minutes away from her own so he could pick her up pretty easily.

Katara smiled as she answered back that she would love to go and would be ready in ten minutes.

Exactly ten minutes later Katara was standing at the main entrance on campus when Zuko pulled up.

Katara walked over and got in, buckling her seatbelt.

"So, where to?"

"I was thinking we could try out this nice restaurant in town that serves this very deep dish pizza that my Uncle swears by."

"Hm. Could never go wrong with a recommendation from Uncle," Katara conceded with a smile.

Twenty minutes later the pair were seated in a booth, a lull in their conversation occurring when Katara realized that their server have not been back for a while.

"Did your Uncle say anything about the wait time? Cause it's been a moment," she commented, glancing around the establishment, noting only a few tables having clientele in them.

"He said it was pretty fast, all things considered," Zuko remarked, a little confused himself.

After another five minutes went by, their server finally came, mumbled the special of the days and left, only taking their drink orders.

"That was odd," Katara stated after their server left, not appreciating the behavior.

"Maybe he's having a bad day?" Zuko suggested.

"Maybe…"

When an additional fifteen minutes went by, Katara felt more than ticked off by the lack of service.

"That's it, we're leaving," she declared, scooting out of the booth to stand up.

Zuko got up too and together they walked, his hand on the small of her back; and as they passed by the podium at the front entrance, the person standing behind it muttered "disgusting" so softly that Katara almost did not catch it.

"What did you say?"

The man faked a look of innocence. "I didn't say anything, ma'am."

Katara glared but did not push the issue; she just wanted to get the hell out of there and away from the outright disrespect.

Zuko's eyes darted back and forth, trying to process the scene before him for he did not overhead the initial comment.

They left and once they were seated in the car, Katara aired out her frustrations.

"What was with that shitty ass service?"

"I have no clue. It was really weird. And what did that guy say to you when we were leaving?"

Katara's fists clenched. "I'm pretty sure he said disgusting."

Zuko's brow arched. "To what?"

"To us…"

A silence stretched on for a moment.

"He said we were disgusting?" Zuko finally asked, searching for clarification.

"I think the idea of us being together made him say it. Looks like your father isn't alone in that regard."

Zuko frowned. "We don't know for sure that guy meant us as a couple is disgusting-"

"But he did, I heard him!" Katara interrupted. "Why are you making excuses for him?"

"I'm not," Zuko huffed. "But I can't just assume anything since I didn't hear him."

"So why won't you take my word for it?" Katara questioned, clearly pissed off.

"I do, Katara."

"Doesn't seem like it."

Zuko sighed. "Well, I do. But also realize it's unfair to make assumptions."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Please don't tell me you're one of those 'color blind' people."

"I don't even know what that means."

"Ya know, someone that doesn't see color, only people. Total bullshit if you ask me," Katara remarked, shaking her head at the very notion.

Zuko arched a brow at that. "It is, and no, I'm not. I've been subjected to my fair share of unjust—"

"How with a father like yours? I would think you were on the other side," Katara stated angrily.

"Now _that's_ unfair. I'm nothing like my father," Zuko flared back. "You know that. Or at least, I thought you did. Maybe we should just call it a night."

"I'm sorry, Zuko. You're right, that was uncalled for, I shouldn't take this out on you." Katara rubbed her face, already starting to deflate.

He glanced at the restaurant for a second and then darted his eyes back to Katara.

Zuko sighed. "Listen, let me set the record straight. I still want to see you, that hasn't changed, but there are going to be times where we're going to run into people that will not like it."

Katara frowned at that. "So should we stop while we're ahead?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm just letting you know that people, even now, do not like interracial relationships."

"That's their problem," Katara firmly stated.

"They will make it our problem."

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A/N: Chapter title credit goes to Dean Martin's "Ain't That a Kick in the Head."


	6. Chapter 6

_Smoke in My Eyes_

Rating: M (for alcohol use, language and sexual situations)

Summary: In which the rose-colored glasses come completely off.

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_I treat you like a princess, but your life is just one big mess_

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Wednesday was upon Katara and she sat in a circle with several other people, all with the same goal in mind: learning each other's names. At least, that's what the beginning five minutes were about at her first meeting with the Diversity on Campus group. After the initial introduction on what the club was about, with Haru spearheading the event, all the members learned one another names and what their interests were.

When it was Katara's turn she delivered her full name and that her hobbies included reading, some of her favorite TV shows and horseback riding, in which the latter Haru gave her a thoughtful look.

Once the ice break portion was finished, Haru stood up and addressed them all.

"Now that we know a little about each other, let's talk about what this group is really about and how it can benefit not only us, but everyone on campus," he began, grasping his hands behind his back. "Now, our number goal is to educate. I, along with some of my fellow members, firmly believe that education is key, or else why even bother going to college? Surely not to win beer pong championships, right?"

At this, a few students chuckled.

Haru smiled before continuing, "But seriously, without people being informed, they will remain ignorant and that can lead to intolerance..."

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Katara walked back to her dorm, a myriad of thoughts going through her mind, from what she learned in the group and how she connected so well with almost everyone there already, especially Haru, who had overlapping interests and goals aligned with her own.

As she unlocked the door, she was greeted by her boyfriend perched on her bed, glasses gracing his face as he read a book.

Zuko looked up. "Hey," he greeted, dog-earing a page before closing the book.

"Hi," she said back, closing the door behind her. "Not that this isn't a pleasant surprise, but how did you get in?"

"Ty Lee let me in before running off to class," he informed her, standing up. "Said she'll be out for a while."

Katara did not miss the implication.

"Uh huh. How interesting that her class schedule coincides with you just happening to stop by," she teased, dropping her backpack to the floor, knowing full well it was planned.

He simply shrugged. "I'll neither confirm nor deny it." Zuko walked over to her, enveloping her in a hug. "I missed you."

Katara hugged back, basking in his scent, a heady mix of cinnamon, jasmine and tobacco. "Missed you too. How are classes going for you so far?"

Zuko pulled back to look at her face. "Not bad, though I do miss the summer already," he stated, cupping her cheek.

Katara sighed happily. "Me too."

"How are classes going for you? Anything interesting happen?" he asked as he guided them both over to her bed, taking a seat, Katara following suit.

"Classes are okay so far, just not looking forward to buying all the textbooks I'm going to need. So expensive."

Zuko nodded, thinking of the prices of his own books he purchased yesterday. Combined they reached the four digit range.

"Other than that, it's been alright," she concluded. Katara felt it was not the time to tell him about the group; she would save that for another day.

"That's good," Zuko voiced as he leaned over to lay a kiss on her neck, which made her shiver.

"Hm," was her response.

Ten minutes later Zuko found himself on his back, the sheets clinging from the accumulated heat in the modest size dorm room as Katara rode his cock from above. Her hair was unbound and swaying all around his torso, her breasts trying to keep pace while she brought her hips forward and back, up and down, over and over again. Until finally she climaxed, hard, back bowing from the release, head thrown back to deliver a soundless scream to the ceiling.

His own orgasm approached fast, as if trying to chase hers, his hands finding purchase on her hips to keep her close, letting his come take refuge inside her.

Katara climbed off him and laid beside him, the bed a bit snug for them both to lie on, but it was cozy so she cuddled up against him, his arm instantly wrapping around her waist.

She traced abstract designs on his bare chest. "I think this is the first time we've had sex while you were wearing your glasses," she pointed out.

Zuko hummed at the contact before answering, "You're right, though they were briefly misplaced during someone's haste to take my shirt off."

"What can I say, you made me eager when you started kissing my neck and rubbing my thighs," Katara teased back, using a finger to circle one of his nipples.

Zuko grinned as he glanced at her. "Well, you made me hard the moment you walked in the room, so we're even."

Katara's cheeks pinked. "Oh?"

"Of course. How could you not?" he started, leaning up to lie on his side to fully look at her. "You coming in here wearing a sexy pleated skirt that showed off your gorgeous legs, and a tank top hugging those sweet ass tits," he stated, only slightly embarrassed by his language. If his mother was around, she would have reprimanded him harshly. However, his statement was sound because he indeed became erect at the sight of Katara, in part because of the outfit, but really for just _her_.

"Zuko! Such a foul mouth," Katara exclaimed half-heartedly, swatting his shoulder, which made him laugh.

"I don't lie, Katara," he told her, "You're very attractive and I plan on never keeping it a secret."

Katara looked him in the eye, both flattered and a little taken back. Sure, her previous boyfriend told her more or less the same sentiment, but it never felt like it came from the heart, but more so his penis since every time he said something along those lines, they soon fell into the sheets and proceeded to sexual activities.

It was nice having someone doing the inverse.

"Thanks, Zuko, it means a lot," she said with a genuine smile.

He pulled her close, pressing a kiss atop her head. "Anytime."

They stayed that way for a while longer before drifting asleep.

Until Ty Lee came back with a shriek that woke the couple up, Zuko scrambling for his clothes, letting out a few swears while Katara pulled the sheet over her head, apologies muffled against the fabric.

Ty Lee backed out of the room telling the pair to put a tie on the doorknob next time.

Once the coast was clear, Katara peeked out from the cover and looked over at Zuko in a state of half dress. He had an arm through one sleeve of his blue polo shirt, his pants were still unzipped and his glasses were askew.

"You're a mess," she said with a laugh, sitting up.

"Well excuse me for trying not to flash my friend with my junk," Zuko countered without much contempt as he finished completing his ensemble.

Katara simmered down, still smiling. "Fair enough," she replied, pushing the sheet aside in order to stand up and collect her scattered clothing.

Zuko could not stop his eyes from following her hands grabbing at this or pulling on that. He felt like he would never tire of her nudity, which he truly did not mind.

Fully dressed at last, Katara pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, acutely aware of Zuko's eyes on her and while it was a bit unnerving, she also felt appreciated, which was silly to her because it should have not mattered if he approved of her on a physical front, but it did. A small part of her liked it, yet a larger part of her groaned at even _wanting_ it in the first place.

A conflict she was going to have to deal with at some point. Just not that day.

Or the day after.

"Katara?" Zuko's voice broke through, distracting her from her musings.

"Sorry. Just thinking. What were you saying?" she asked sheepishly.

Zuko quirked an eyebrow but left it at that before repeating himself. "I was asking if you would like to come over for dinner tonight. Uncle wants to make up for the crappy service we received at Miagani's the other night."

"Miagani's?" Katara questioned before residual anger started bubbling up. "Oh wait, you mean _that_ restaurant," she replied, the experience still fresh in her mind.

Zuko scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah."

"Sure, that's fine. I don't have any more classes this week so maybe I'll stay at Gran's afterwards. What time?" Katara asked, pushing down her irritation before history repeated itself for she did not want to delve into that particular can of worms once again.

"We could leave by five, get there by roughly six, maybe six-fifteen depending on traffic."

Katara looked at the clock on her nightstand before nodding. "Alright. That's two hours from now which should give me enough time to start some homework."

"Ah. Well, if you need any help with chemistry, let me know," Zuko said with a slight smirk.

Katara smiled. "Uh huh," she said, both of them fully aware that she did not have any chemistry classes this semester.

She just hoped the ones they were cooking up did not blow up in their faces.

.

.

"I think we should get going, poor Ty Lee has been kicked out of her own room for far too long," Katara stated, a little short of breath.

She never got around to doing her homework but ended up doing Zuko instead. _Twice_. Not that she entirely minded, but her homework and her roommate suffered the consequences.

Zuko sat up unhurriedly, pushing his hair back from his face. He contemplated getting it cut soon; it was starting to grow past his ears.

"I guess we should," he said, though no longer wanting to leave the bed, which was getting quite the work-out as of late. Then again, it was a dorm issued bed; they were always built pretty firm.

Katara leaned up on her elbows, giving her back a nice stretch before sitting up, swinging her legs over the bed, planting her feet to the floor.

Zuko scooted over and got out off the mattress, standing up and then proceeded to collect his clothes.

"Wanna take a quick shower before we go?" she asked, walking over to her closet door, her robe hanging on the doorknob. She slipped it on and then went to her dresser, grabbing her bathroom bag of goodies.

Zuko gave her a look. "Sure that's wise?" he asked, liking the prospect of a soapy Katara.

She blushed. "I mean, we're kind of crunched for time and if you don't do anything funny, we should make it to your Uncle's on time."

Zuko laughed, not able to contain his mirth. "Don't put it all on me, Katara. Who's the one that say, 'oh, Zuko, one more time please,'?"

Katara felt her cheeks burn, only a tad embarrassed by her previous behavior.

"But sure, let's shower and I promise I'll try to keep my hands off of you. Key word on _try_, though," Zuko said with a grin. "Got a towel for me?"

Katara smirked for she knew he would fail at that.

Which he did.

This resulted in them being fifteen minutes late to Uncle Iroh's place.

He gave them a knowing look but made no comment on their tardiness.

.

.

"That was very delicious, Mr. Iroh, thank you," Katara said with earnest, placing her fork down on the empty plate, the cutlery having just had bites of chicken alfredo on it.

"Not at all, my dear. And what have I said to call me?" he slightly reprimanded.

"Sorry," Katara apologized. "Thank you, Iroh." She still was not used to it.

He smiled and then stood, collecting the plates.

"Oh, let me help you with those," Katara started, getting up, grabbing the glasses.

"How kind," Iroh replied, pleased. "She's a keeper, Zuko."

The young adults turned red but made no further comment. Thereafter, Katara and Iroh took the assorted dishes to the kitchen and Katara insisted on continuing to help, so Iroh relented and had her dry the dishes after he washed them.

"Zuko has gone through a lot in such a short time," Iroh began, scrubbing at a pan. "He has been treated with kindness, hardships and everything in between. And I'm sure that no matter what happens between you two, he'll have your back," he finished as he passed the pan over to her to dry.

Katara took it, holding onto it for a moment, mulling over his words. "But what if he thinks it's not worth the trouble?" she asked quietly. "What if _I'm_ not worth it?" She dried the pan and then placed it in the rack to air dry a bit more.

"Katara, you can't live on 'what if's, those will lead to roadblocks and you don't need them in your life," Iroh told her gently. "Trust in him, but most importantly, trust in yourself and that everything will work itself out."

Just then the doorbell rang throughout the cozy split-level home.

"Hm, I wasn't expecting anyone else over tonight. Katara, you didn't tell your friends you were throwing a party here, did you?" Iroh teased lightly as he walked to the front door.

"No, of course not," Katara countered with a laugh, and as she watched him leave the room, she could not shake the feeling of foreboding pressing onto her shoulders.

"F-father…?" Zuko's voice choked out.

The pressure swelled down to her feet.

.

.

The four of them sat in the living room, the silence almost deafening. After the initial shock of Ozai showing up on his brother's doorstep, no one knew what to do or what to say, but Iroh was the first to recover and invited Ozai in, not wanting to seem rude. He also wanted to know the reason for his impromptu visit.

"Have you eaten yet, brother? I still have some chi-"

"No need, Iroh, I've had dinner already," Ozai interrupted, his voice sending a shiver down Katara's spine. It was not like it was a bad voice, it was actually a nice deep timbre, but there was something about it that put her on edge.

"I see. Care for a drink?" Iroh asked, trying to keep the mood light-hearted.

Ozai stood up and Katara briefly wondered how his black slacks did not seem to crease while he was seated.

"That would be lovely. Got anything stronger than tea?"

Iroh chuckled. "Of course," he said, leading them both to the kitchen and the moment they were away, Zuko sagged in his seat with a sigh escaping his lips.

"You've been awfully quiet," Katara remarked.

"So have you," Zuko countered, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm just as surprised as you are, ya know."

Katara glanced at the entryway to the kitchen, making sure the coast was still clear enough to voice her concerns.

"Why do you think he's here? Do you think he knows about us?"

Zuko's hands twitched, wanting badly to smoke, but he knew his father would heavily frown upon it. Still, the urge was there and steadily growing the longer his dad was in Iroh's home.

"Honestly? I don't know. I've been racking my brain for reasons but for the life of me, I don't know. Fucking annoying."

Katara reached out and placed a hand on his knee. She could practically feel his irate rolling off of him in waves.

He looked at her hand then at her face, grateful for the contact.

Ozai choose that moment to come in and his eyes zeroed in on Katara's hand on his son's knee. His hands started to form fists but he checked himself and plastered on a small smile.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced," Ozai stated, walking over to the pair. "I'm Ozai, Zuko's father."

Katara looked up at him, her previous fear creeping up again. There was something off about this man despite his innocuous words. Even his appearance seemed harmless with his black hair professionally slicked back, his gold tie lying against his burgundy button down dress shirt and black slacks; and yet there was an edge to him that screamed _treacherous_.

"Katara," she said politely.

"And you're a friend of Zuko's?" Ozai asked smoothly, his eyes darting down to her hand still resting on Zuko's knee.

Zuko seemed to emerge from a watery depth as his back straightened up while he placed his hand atop hers, taking a breath before releasing it.

"Girlfriend, actually," was his firm declaration.

The room fell heavy with silence once more as Iroh came back in, eyes darted between the couple and then his brother, worried. He knew how Ozai felt about certain people coming together for more than a business standpoint.

"Oh, how lovely," Iroh announced, trying to break up the tension. "This calls for a celebratory toast." He then retreated into the kitchen again, pouring four glasses of red wine before placing them on a tray to bring out to his guests.

Ozai's hands clenched once, a frown forming on his forehead.

"Quiet" he drawled simply.

"Here we are," Iroh burst in, handing a glass to each of them. "To young love." He raised his glass, everyone else tentatively doing the same, clanking their glasses together.

Unfortunately, a few drops fell out and hit the beige carpet soundlessly, no one noticing except Katara; and as she watched the wine make tiny spec on the floor, she drank her glass and wondered if the pressure would ever leave her shoulders.

After a while, drinks emptied and all of them running out of pleasantries to say, Ozai called it a night. Iroh wished him a good night, walking him to the front door. As Ozai shrugged on his jacket, Iroh stepped away to gather the glasses, enlisting Zuko to help. As they went into the kitchen, Katara was about to follow them but a firm hand on her arm pulled her into the hallway leading to the front entrance.

Stunned, Katara looked up at the man that grasped her.

"S-Sir...?"

"Let me make myself very clear," Ozai started. "Zuko is a worthless coward and if he weren't my son, I would have been rid of him a long time ago. However, that fact remains and I have plans for him, so I don't need some flavor of the week sniffing around him. Break it off immediately."

"But you don't even anything about me," Katara returned.

"I know enough," he sneered, giving her a once over. "You're all the same."

Ozai let her go and as he glanced down at his hand, his handsome face twisted in disgust. He pulled out a handkerchief from his slacks, wiping his hand against it and without another word, opened the door and left.

Katara felt her body tremble and as she looked at her arm, she noticed a slight hand imprint on it. She could only hope it would fade in time before she faced Zuko again.

.

.

Originally Katara was going to stay the night at Gran-Gran's, but after how the evening ended, she asked Zuko if it was okay to just go back to their respective dorms that night, which he agreed to and about an hour later, neither one making many comments, Zuko drove her back to her dorm. They were both more mentally exhausted than they thought they would be considering how it was supposed to be an intimate dinner for three.

Zuko turned the car off and let the soothing sound of the engine cooling off permit the quiet confinement of the car for a while.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking at her.

"What for?" she asked, keeping her gaze averted on the floor of the car. It needed to be clean soon.

Katara felt his fingers gently grip her chin, lifting her head. As Zuko looked into her eyes, he realized they were pretty watery.

"Katara, are you okay?"

She closed her eyes and the tears came. "Just…I guess I'm a little shaken up, that's all, but I'll get over it."

"You don't have to do that. If you feel something let it out." Zuko wiped the pesky drops away. "I used to do that a lot, just hold everything in, especially when my mother left, and then I would burst out in anger at the most random times. But my Uncle told me I should let it out in the moment, and then let it go."

Katara took a deep breath before letting it out. "Before we left, when you went to help your Uncle bring the wine glasses back to the kitchen, I started to follow but…Your father stopped me, just for a moment and said…"

"What? What did he say?"

Katara looked at him, a mix of melancholy and fury brewing in her eyes. "He basically told me to I wasn't good enough to date you, saying I was just a_'_ _flavor of the week_' and I would get in the way with whatever he has planned for you. After that, he left," Katara told him, omitting bits of the exchange.

Zuko's eyes widen and then he cursed. "You were keeping that in the whole car ride?"

"_That's_ your concern right now?" Katara questioned, pissed.

"Partly, yes, because if you would have told me a lot sooner, I could have told him off," Zuko shot back, getting aggravated himself.

"Would you really? He was already gone by the time you and Uncle came back anyway," she said, shrugging, though still annoyed.

"Even still, you sat on that news for an hour," Zuko pointed out.

Katara sighed. "I needed some time to process it okay? That's just how I deal with things."

"Fucking hell, Katara, you don't have to do that around me, especially when it concerns _our_ relationship."

"Then maybe we should take a break…" Katara mumbled, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"_What_? How did you jump to that conclusion?" Zuko asked, her words sending a shock to his system. He did not think he could handle more surprises that night.

She unlocked the passenger side door, starting to climb out, but Zuko's hand shot out like lighting to take a hold of her wrist, stilling her movement. The action made her flinch, it was too much like déjà vu.

"Katara, wait! What's happening here?" He rushed to ask, more worried than angry.

"Let go," she calmly answered back, but just barely.

"I won't. You're trying to pick a fight with me when I'm not your enemy here."

Katara bit her lip, trying to hold in everything she wanted to say, but a few words slipped out. "I just need some time to myself for a while."

"Katara… "

"Please!"

He let her go.

.

.

Katara was grateful to be in her bed alone that night. Ty Lee left a note saying she would be gone for the night on a date so the room was all hers.

Katara lay on her bed, face first, not bothering to take off her shoes or even change into her sleepwear. She just wanted the night to be put behind her and not think too much on it anymore.

Just then her phone vibrated in her pocket and at first she ignored it, thinking it was probably Zuko, but when it vibrated more consistently she realized it was a phone call. Considering the time of night it was, she figured it was emergency.

However, the number that appeared on the screen was not anyone in her family nor her friends, and it was not Zuko's either.

Confused but curious enough, she eventually answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, is this Katara?"

"Speaking."

"It's Haru."

The clock on her nightstand changed from nine forty-eight to nine forty-nine.

.

.

A/N: Chapter title credits goes to Rooney's "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?" Also, credit for the restaurant name goes to _Batman: Arkham Knight_.


	7. Chapter 7

_Smoke in My Eyes_

Rating: M (for alcohol, language, mild violence and sexual situations)

Summary: In which the couple deal with being singular again.

.

.

_your intentions aren't to bother me, but honestly I'd rather be_

.

.

Clue number one was the place: a dim restaurant at night.

Clue number two was where they sat: in a booth in the back of said restaurant.

Clue number three was his attire: a long sleeved button-down dress shirt tucked into his black slacks, ending with polished matching dress shoes.

Despite all the clues, however, Katara was unware she was on a date until he flat out asked her out. Even then, she made him repeat himself.

"I would like to go out with you."

She looked at him from across the leftover pasta on her plate on the table.

"Is it really that surprising?"

"Honestly, yes, considering we just met not too long ago."

Haru sighed, a little unhappy that she was not taking him seriously.

"But isn't that the point of dating? To see where things might go?"

Katara picked up her fork and used it to push a meatball around. "I'm sorry, Haru, but I can't."

His green eyes flickered to her face for a moment before casting downward.

"I see."

She tucked some of her long hair behind her left ear as she glanced down at her plate. Katara did feel horrible for turning him down, but there were various reasons why she really should not jump from one guy to the other, especially in the span of twenty-four hours.

She thought back to their phone call the previous night that set it all in motion.

"_Hey, Haru, what's up?" she asked, slightly hoping the conversation would go by quickly so that she could go to sleep soon and put the evening behind her._

"_Not too much. I'm sorry for calling so late, but I was wondering if you could meet me tomorrow to go over some things concerning the group_?"

"_Sure, no problem," Katara readily agreed, her eyes darting over to the clock._

"_Awesome. Let's shoot for seven at Hollins over on Ridge Rd?"_

"_Sounds good."_

When Katara reached her destination the next day, they did in fact go over things for the group at first, which later turned into small talk. However, it dawned on her that it was just them. Alone. And all the clues started to stack up.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's alright."

They both knew it was a lie, but it kept them going for the rest of the meal.

.

.

Katara needed a listening ear more than anything else once she was back in dorm, but her roommate was nowhere in sight. Katara sat at her desk and called Suki. She picked on the second ring.

"Hey! It's been a while. How ya been?"

Katara briefly wondered if was fair of her to unleash her burdens on Suki since she was more Sokka's girlfriend than her friend, but she needed someone objective.

"I've been alright. Listen, I know this is kind of sudden, and please don't tell Sokka, but you remember that guy I was seeing over the summer?"

"You mean Zuko? Yeah," she voiced on the other end, a little confused but interested. "Is everything okay?"

"It was?" Katara started, uncertain. "Let me take it from the beginning."

Katara explained the situation while Suki listened, her homework left untouched.

When Katara was finished, Suki waited a beat before responding.

"It sounds to me that a break was necessary so that you can figure out what you really want out of the relationship," Suki stated. "I'm surprised, though, by his dad. Considering he's Asian, you would think he would be more understanding of the plights all minorities face."

"Racists come in all forms," Katara put in. "Thankfully, from the look of things, it's only him that has that mind set in the family."

"True. On both counts," Suki agreed. "I'm sorry things went the way they did, though."

Katara shrugged, fighting back a bout of tears that threaten to fall.

"Me too."

.

.

Come Monday, Katara was seated in her Biology 101 class, but everything the professor was droning on about went in one ear and out the other. She absentmindedly doodled on her notebook, her focus almost non-existed until someone tapped her shoulder from behind.

Katara turned and was greeted with a flyer, the print on the paper in neon colors. Her eyes scanned the page, and it turned out it was a flyer for a party that upcoming Friday.

"Do you need me to pass this to someone?" Katara asked.

The woman arched a styled brow. "No. It's for you," she replied, tossing her long dark brown hair over a shoulder.

Katara looked down at the paper again. "It's on Cliff Ave. Isn't that street notorious for frat parties that usually have the cops called on them?"

The woman shrugged. "Sometimes, but that just means it was a wild party, which are the best. So you in?"

Katara frowned, confused. "Why me?"

"Because she likes to take freshmen under her wing, it's her thing," another voice chipped in on the other side of Katara.

She turned toward the voice and was greeted by a petite young lady with green eyes and long ebony hair pulled back into a bun, with a nose ring and five earring studs all on one ear. She had black leather wrist bands on and a cream colored tank top lying over torn up jeans, black combat boots completing the ensemble.

Katara did a quick once over of her other classmate and was struck at how _gorgeous_ she was; with her long hair, some of it acting as a bang over her right eye, the left one rimmed with black eyeliner, her full lips covered in a burgundy red, which matched the spiral snake tattoo high up on her left shoulder. She wore a black tank top, the neckline embroidered with tiny black beads, and a long black skirt, stopping short of her ankles, her feet encased in short, brown boots with two belt-like straps wrapped around them.

Katara wondered how they escaped her notice, but then again, she did have other things swirling around in her mind. Maybe a party was just what the doctor ordered in order to lose herself in mindless music and cheap beer.

"My name is Toph, by the way."

"Sounds tough," Katara pointed out without thinking. "Er, not that that's a bad thing," she piggybacked.

Toph waved a hand. "It's fine. Probably what my parents had in mind when they named me so that it would clash with my small, _delicate_ frame."

"And I'm Jun," the other woman cut in before Toph could dredge up old wounds about her parents.

"Nice to meet you both," Katara stated politely.

"So you're coming to the party, right?" Toph asked.

Katara mulled it over. "I'll think about it."

.

.

"You _have_ to go, Katara!" Suki exclaimed later that day as she sat at her friend's desk, putting another coat of ruby red nail polish on her thumb nail.

Katara sat cross-legged on her bed, a textbook in her lap. "Why? It's just a frat party. Plus I wouldn't know anyone there."

"Because you were invited by Jun," Suki said matter of-factly.

Katara raised a brow. "And that's a big deal because…"

"Because she's one of the coolest juniors here and it's not often she befriends anyone, except first years for whatever reason."

"This isn't high school, Suki, it's college," Katara said, turning a page in her book. "And besides, she has a friend already and they seem pretty close."

Suki blew on her hand before answering. "Like she can't have more than one friend?"

Katara shrugged. "I guess so. Just weird she took an interest in me, that's all." She highlighted a passage, a thought occurring to her. "Wait, how do you know so much about her anyway?"

Suki looked her way, smiling slightly. "Because she invited me too." She dipped the brush in the bottle. "And I heard rumors, like how she usually befriends younger girls, acting as a big sister of sorts or something."

Katara frowned. "Kind of strange but okay. So it's safe to assume you're going to the party?"

"Of course," Suki said, waving her hands carefully, fingers spread. "And now you know someone that will be there. I mean really, what do you have to lose by going?"

.

.

The rest of the week went by in a blur of classes, hanging out with Suki, homework, and no word from either Zuko or Haru, though it was more than understandable. Katara skipped the group on Wednesday, promising herself that she would go next time; and to somehow face Haru again soon because she did like him as a friend, he was like a kindred spirit.

Katara shot a quick text to Suki letting her know that she would be ready in twenty minutes before proceeding to gather her things for a shower.

As Katara walked into the co-ed bathroom, a concept she was still getting used to, she bumped into a hard chest once she hit the corner for the shower stalls.

"Excuse me," she quickly let out, looking at the person whose chest met her face. "Oh!" she gasped, turning red.

"Uh, it's alright," Haru uttered, wishing he brought more than toiletries and a towel, which was firmly wrapped around his waist, into the bathroom with him.

Katara averted her eyes away from his naked torso. "Listen, I just wanna say-"

"No need," Haru interrupted. "If you're going to give me the friend speech, please don't, my fragile heart wouldn't be able to take it," he quipped jokingly.

That made her smile, albeit small. "Fine, I won't. Just know that I would like to try again."

"That can be arranged."

Now her smile was broader. "Thanks," she said, then paused. "Um, well, I'll see you later?" she prompted, giving him a meaningful look.

He took the hint. "Of course. See you around, Katara." Haru left, letting her have some privacy.

Katara only had the room to herself until a couple decided to come in five minutes later and thought it was a smart idea to have sex in the stall next to hers.

She finished her shower quickly and dried off just as fast before securing her robe, then once all her things were packed in her small bag, she left the couple to enjoy themselves.

The stall they used was the same one her and Zuko occupied just last week and Katara wished her brain did not remember that fact.

.

.

Thirty minutes passed by and Katara found herself in front of a big, bricked, three level house that took up a quarter of a the sidewalk, Suki at her side, who let out a low whistle.

"Quite the place," Suki remarked, watching the various people going about their business, some hanging outside the home, a few playing beer pong on the front lawn, red party cups in almost everyone's hands.

The party was definitely in full swing.

"Yeah," Katara answered back, noticing a woman throwing up by the driveway into a bush, her friend holding her hair back. "Think it's too late to change my mind?"

Suki rolled her eyes. "Yes. We haven't even gone inside yet."

_If it looks like this out here, do I really want to go inside?_ Katara thought, but kept it to herself as she followed Suki into the massive house.

When they entered, the bass from the stereo shot through their bodies it felt like their bones rattled. Then the smell hit their noses, which was a heady mix of various perfumes, colognes and just body odors with an overlay of alcohol. Combined with the sight of dancing bodies, couples making out in almost every corner of the home, groups of friends taking shots at a coffee table, and even another game of beer pong being played in the sitting area, it was an assault on almost all the senses.

"Still want to be here?" Katara shouted over the music.

"Yes!" Suki yelled back, walking over to the kitchen area through a long hallway to fill up a cup with beer from the keg sitting on the island counter.

Katara followed, casting a wary eye over the many party-goers.

The kitchen was thankfully a little quieter than the living room and gave their ears a nice respite from the noise.

"I'm surprise you wanted to come here, Suki," Katara admitted, pouring some beer into a cup for herself.

Suki took a sip before answering. "I mean, isn't this what college is all about? Getting free beer at parties and witnessing all the crazy things people do once they've had a few too many?"

"I guess so, but there's also that pesky thing called education too." Katara took a gulp of her beer, looking around the high-end kitchen, from its marble countertops to the slick silver appliances, topped off with nickel hardware on the cabinetry.

They stayed in the kitchen, making observations about this person or that until someone walked by that Katara recognized.

"I think I just saw-" but before she could finish, Katara was smacked lightly on the back by a firm hand from behind.

"Hey, hey! You made it!" Toph cried out, a cup of rum and Coke in her hand.

Katara coughed, surprised by her classmate's approach. "Hey. Wild party, huh?"

Toph shrugged. "Not really. It's actually kind of a letdown," she remarked, taking a swig of her beverage. "Hopefully it'll pick up soon."

Katara and Suki shared a look.

"Oh, Toph, this is my friend Suki. Suki, Toph," Katara introduced.

"Hi."

"Sup."

They went quiet again before Katara asked, "Where's Jun?"

Toph glanced upward. "Necking some guy, last I saw."

Katara was a little disappointed. She kind of wanted to see the older woman again outside a class setting. She had an aura about her that yelled _cool_, and would have been interesting to see if she lived up to the hype.

"So, Toph," Suki started. "What's your major?"

Toph took another gulp of her drink. "Undecided. I'm just taking random classes until something interested me, though I might want to get a move on."

Katara frowned slightly. "How come?"

"My parents aren't satisfied with me just doing whatever and seeing as how they're paying my way, they would really like a more definitive degree for me to focus on." Toph shrugged, trying to make light of the situation. "Honestly, if it weren't for people like Jun or the parties, I would blow this popsicle stand."

Suki looked at Katara before addressing Toph. "Aren't you a freshman? The school year has barely begun, you never know what might inspire you to stay here."

"Look, I just know that college isn't for me, okay?" Toph stated defensively. "I never cared for learning inside confined walls when the world is the real classroom."

Suki winced. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean any offense."

Toph waved it off. "No biggie. Sorry if I came of kind of bratty. Anyway, I'm gonna go mingle. Y'all should too. Not going to learn much standing in the kitchen all night." And with those parting words, Toph made her exit.

"Wow. I can't say I've ever met someone like her before," Suki pointed out.

"Me neither," Katara agreed, though inside she was in awe of her classmate. Her way of thinking was so freeing, yet Katara knew if she tried that her Gran-Gran would not let her hear the end of it. Katara's mom never went to college because at the time she was pregnant with Sokka and they did not have the funds to support a new family and university at the same time. Instead she was a stay at home mom and when baby Katara came along and eventually turned five years old, she made Katara promise to stay in school, no matter what.

Katara looked wistfully down into her cup, wondering briefly if her mom would be proud of her being at a party instead of studying.

Shaking her head, Katara looked out at the party and caught a glimpse of her roommate walking out a side door next to the living room.

"I think I just saw Ty Lee."

"Your roomie?" Suki asked, pouring another cup of beer.

"Yeah. Do you think I should talk to her?"

Suki finished, swirling her cup a couple of times. "About what?"

"Well, she's friends with Zuko and I could ask how he's doing, I guess."

Suki frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You dumped him, remember? I dunno if she'd want to see you right now."

Katara placed her cup on the counter. "I should still try to make amends," she declared, determined to fix things. Somehow.

"Alright…"

.

.

Katara followed Ty Lee's trail, weaving through the bodies of people standing around doing a whole lot of nothing.

When Katara entered the room, a den attached to the living area, her mind was trying to make sense of what was happening before her eyes.

There he was, sitting on the couch, looking happy, with a tall, thin woman with sleek brown hair running down her tan shoulders, sitting snuggly next to him, her hand on his knee as she laughed quietly at something he said. Ty Lee was on his other side, one leg under the other as she faced him, laughing as well, though more openly.

Katara wanted to run away, yell at him, smack the woman that held no name and cry all at once. However, a decision was made for her when Ty Lee said her name, surprised evident all of her face.

And that was when he looked at her and Katara was frozen to the spot. She remembered those eyes, a time where she was reflected in them on numerous occasions.

Zuko called out her name tentatively, like he could not believe she was in front of him.

"Um, hey…" Katara said, glancing at Ty Lee's worried face to the unknown woman on Zuko's left who had an impassive expression.

"Hey," Zuko answered back, not knowing what else to say.

Sensing they needed some privacy, Ty Lee stood up, addressing her friend. "Say, Song, let's see if Hope is here yet."

Song cocked an eyebrow slightly and then shrugged. "Why not."

They left the den and Katara felt both relieved and annoyed at being left alone with Zuko.

She fidgeted with the hem of her mini skirt, looking down.

Zuko watched her for a moment. "I didn't expect you to be here tonight."

"Me neither. Suki kind of pushed me to go," Katara admitted, looking up.

Zuko smiled but it did not quite reach his eyes. "Never figured you to give into peer pressure."

She shrugged. "Normally, no, but I wanted to get out of the dorm for a while."

"How come?" Zuko asked.

Katara blushed, glancing away. "No reason."

Zuko stood up, walking toward her. "Katara…" he started, uncertain on how to finish.

"Listen, about what I said before-"

Zuko grasped her hand gently, stopping her in mid-sentence. "Let's not."

Katara looked at him.

"I have to get this out," she began. "I'm sorry I left you like that, I just needed time to deal with everything. I know it wasn't fair to you, but it's how I've always been. Ever since my mom died, I've always had a hard time opening up to people because I was afraid they would die on me and I figured what's the point of them getting to know me and me them? I just…I don't know if I'm capable of really being close to someone again, so maybe your father was right anyway, I should stay away from you, but I don't want to, Zuko…" Katara stopped because her vision became blurry and her throat was closing up, cutting off her words.

Zuko pulled her into his arms, embracing her as one of his hands rubbed her back.

He said nothing for he simply held her for a long moment, letting her tears seep into his graphic t-shirt.

.

.

Toph crossed her arms over her chest.

"You heard me, asshole. Back off."

"Oh come on, you don't have to be that way, baby," drawled a tall guy who was roughly five drinks in and had lost all of his common sense.

"Ugh," Toph groaned, walking away. She left him where he stood to try to find Jun and leave this so-called party.

As she rounded the corner leading into the living room, she saw two big guys shoving at a smaller one who had his arms up defensively. The surrounding crowd looked on like it was entertainment, some even hooting.

"Hey, leave the kid alone," Toph yelled, marching over.

One of the guys looked her way, then turned back to his victim, which only enraged her more.

Toph grabbed his forearm, yanking it away before the fist could connect again.

"I said, leave the kid alone."

In that moment, there was a two second delay in between songs and a lot of onlookers taking solace in the small amount of silence provided.

Then, as the bass dropped on the next song all hell broke loose.

.

.

Katara was seated on the couch inside the den with Zuko, her hand in one of his when Suki burst into the room.

"Katara!" she yelled, a little out of breath.

Startled, Katara stood up, rushing over to her friend. "What's wrong?"

"Your classmate is fighting two guys!"

Katara's eyes widen. "Say what?"

Suki grabbed Katara's hand. "Come on!"

Together, with Zuko following, they made a beeline to the living room and Katara could not believe her eyes.

There was broken glass on the floor from the smashed coffee table. A few chairs were upturned, their respective decorative pillows scattered about the place. In the middle of the fray was Toph, kneeing a guy roughly three times her size in the gut and within the next second had that same leg swing around to roundhouse kick another big guy of almost equal statue in the temple, who went down, clutching his head.

Then Katara noticed a smaller guy who could not be older than seventeen in a torn shirt, his face and arms covered in bruises, cowering by the fireplace which was thankfully not in use.

Katara pushed through a few people, most rooting for Toph while a few called the two guys punks for getting beaten up by a girl.

"Toph! What's going on here?" Katara asked when she reached her classmate, paying mind to the glass on the floor considering she was wearing open-toe sandals.

Toph merely shrugged. "These two bozos were wailing on that guy over there so I put a stop to it."

Katara regarded the two guys, one knocked out cold, the other groaning from the pain radiating in his torso. Then she noticed most of the people that were enjoying the fight had since moved on, some going back to their conversations, some leaving to other parts of the house.

"You know how dangerous that was," Katara remarked disapprovingly.

Toph rolled her eyes. "For them, yeah. I'm just peachy." She glanced at the guy by the fireplace. "Hey, you. You might want to leave now, I don't know how long those two will be out and if they're stupid, they might try for you again when they come to. So scram."

The young teen gulped, nodding his head before groping the wall for support in order to stand up. He took off soon after.

Katara frowned. "Well that was mean."

"Look, I handled the situation just fine, so cool it, you're not my mom."

"I…I know that," Katara hesitated, taken aback.

"In any case, I need to find Jun and get the hell out of here, it's gotten boring," and with those parting words, Toph left, easily bypassing all the debris on the floor.

Suki, Katara and Zuko looked on, each feeling a mix of surprise and confusion.

.

.

An hour later after the party became a hodgepodge of strip poker and spin the bottle, Zuko and Katara walked Suki back to her dorm, Katara wishing her a good night while they hugged; Suki in turn whispering to be cautious before letting go and walking through the front door. Katara watched her retreating form, a little confused at first, though when she turned back to Zuko, the message was no longer lost on her.

_Oh._

While Katara was able to pour her worries and concerns to him earlier during the party, they never actually said anything about getting back together. Yet, her fingers itched to touch his bare skin and her lips wanted nothing more than to kiss his soundly. It was only a week since she declared she needed a break, but oh how she missed him. However, his father's words continued to haunt her.

As Katara looked at him, she had a feeling he felt the same way, but for the life of her she did not know how to proceed.

"So…"

"Did you-"

They both stopped talking, a pause taking place for a few seconds before they both started to laugh, which help ease the awkwardness.

Zuko stepped closer, grasping her elbow gently, looking into her eyes.

"May I come back with you? I'd like to talk, really talk, and get things sorted out."

Katara swallowed, fearing that would not be all they would do, but she did not want the opportunity to slip by, so she said it was fine and together, they walked the ten minutes back to her dorm in a different building.

Once there, the door firmly shut and locked, no words were exchanged however, just hands pulling and pushing articles of clothing out of the way to make paths for lips, tongues and others to follow each inch of exposed areas of skin.

Katara began unzipping his dark blue jeans as he scrunched up her mini skirt to her waist. After which he did not bother taking off her panties, just simply moving them to the side as he hoisted her legs up onto his hips, sliding in with ease.

Katara let out a gasp, locking her limbs around his form as they had sex against the door, which lasted for a moment before Zuko carried her over to the bed, still joined in the most intimate of ways, and took on a more hurried pace as he fucked her against the mattress.

She clutched at his bare back, her moans ringing out throughout the modest size room; and just when she was on the precipice of an orgasm, her underwear started to dig into her skin uncomfortably.

"Zuko…" she breathed. "My panties…"

He slowed, glancing down at her. "What?"

"They're in the way!"

Zuko looked at offending garment and put two and two together. He moved back and pulled it down her legs, tossing them aside, and then wasted no time in guiding his cock back in.

"Better?"

"Much," she answered, gripping his hips, trying to go back to the pace from before, and Zuko, not missing the blatant signal, redouble his efforts and pretty soon, they both found release.

When she came down from her high, she realized with a start just how _weak_ her resolve was and it scared the shit out of her.

This was bad. This was very bad indeed.

.

.

A/N: Chapter title credits goes to Alessia Cara's "Here."


End file.
